


Starfish

by carriecmoney



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drinking, Halloween Costumes, Lame Halloween Party, M/M, Meet-Cute, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-08-09 22:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16458101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carriecmoney/pseuds/carriecmoney
Summary: Putting on a mermaid tail while he was already on crutches had seemed like a great idea three days ago. He couldn’t walk anyway, so why not make the most of it?Lame Halloween college party oneshot that grew into a multichapter, where Shiro is a pirate, Lance is a mermaid, and they definitely didn't plan this out at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> {A/N: This was inspired by [this thread by @shircganes on twitter](https://twitter.com/shircganes/status/1054439070334664704), and also I've wanted to write something silly and useless and Shance for a while now. It's adorable and pointless and cute.}

Lance had done a lot of stupid shit in his life that came back to bite him in the ass later. Spraining his ankle the week before Halloween by jumping off his lofted dorm bed trying to do a backflip and forced to be crutch-bond until Thanksgiving break was just the most recent case.

Hunk sighed, stopping and turning back to watch Lance struggle down the sidewalk in a rare circle of streetlamp light. “Lance, my man, I love you, but please, just let me carry you and end this madness.”

Lance gasped, _mostly_ from the outrage instead of the exertion. “Excuse _you!_ I’m doing-” He heaved himself forward, the feet of his crutches clicking on concrete and shiny foam of his costume’s tail scraping in his wake. “ _Fine!”_

“Lance.” Hunk crossed his arms over his unicorn shirt, standing a few steps ahead on the sidewalk, and watched his agonizing approach. “You’re an idiot.”

Lance huffed, focusing on avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk with his crutches and _not_ on the super unfair, super judgey Look on his best friend/roommate’s face. “Your words mean nothing – to me,” he gritted out. “Repetition – breeds numbness.”

“Well, you are walking proof of that.” Hunk snorted at his own stupid joke. “Heh, walking.”

Lance scowled and gave a great swing forward to hit Hunk with his trapped legs, wincing as his ankle twinged hard at him for touching it. “Shut the hell up and get out of my way.”

Hunk rolled his eyes and kept Lance’s sprained ankle pace, walking in the road next to him to give him the sidewalk space. They were almost to the pre-Halloween party at Allura’s off-campus house, some elaborate affair her weird uncle owned, but just far enough away from the well-lit brick of campus for the late October chill and stillness to creep in. Lance was too proud to admit that he should have worn a jacket or shirt or something, but his need to be the trashiest thing at Allura’s party was stronger than any need to be warm or comfortable. The plastic shell necklace, bumping his collar with every crutch swing, wasn’t much of insulation, and the breeze whipped right through the shiny poly-nylon of his cheap mermaid tail and starfish bra. Maybe he should have worn pants under this thing no matter how much they messed up the lines of his scales…

“Yo! Boys! Stop lollygagging!”

Hunk shook his head and called at Pidge’s distant fur cape, “Then stop running ahead!”

“Let’s see how _they_ like having to hold your whole body up with your armpits,” Lance grumbled, pausing to readjust the towels taped to the crutch tops. Hunk held him steady, hand almost too warm on his back.

“Dude, c’mon, just let me carry you. It’s not like I can’t.”

Lance frowned down the road. It was at least five more blocks to Allura’s house – far away enough that the end of the line of parked cars was barely in sight. He sighed, long and hard. “ _Fine._ ” He gathered his crutches up so Hunk could swing him into his arms, tail flopping around his feet. “But you’re putting me down when people can see us.”

“Sure, sure.” Lance hooked an arm around Hunk’s neck, holding his crutches with the outside one, as Hunk set off at a normal walking pace to meet a bouncy Pidge. He was _never_ spraining his ankle the week before Halloween _again_.

He’d better get a lot of candy and alcohol and ass at this stupid thing. Or at least some tequila gummy bears and a phone number. A ride back in a car might be nice, too.

* * *

“Jesus Christ, this place is _packed_. You sure this is the right place?”

Shiro double-checked the address Allura had texted him a few days before, biting his lip. “Yeah, pretty sure.” He looked out the car window at the colored lights flickering through all the windows in the giant house, toilet paper and fake cobwebs draped over the stone lion statues out front. People were crowded at every orifice, with cars parked on the grass and lined up along the street in both directions. “Not exactly how Allura pitched it,” he muttered.

“Yeah, no _shit_.” Keith scowled at the house as they idled in the road, empty of moving traffic for the moment. “You sure you want to go in this place? She’s just your TA, she probably won’t notice, and this place _smells_ like gonorrhea.”

Shiro swallowed, but put on a smile and raised his hook. “What, and waste this costume?”

Keith shot him a look darker than the one he gave the house, but put his beat-up speed demon into gear. “You’re such a fucking nerd,” he grumbled. Shiro grinned, real this time, and flipped down the sunshade to check his eyeliner in the vanity mirror. Still raccoon, as planned. God, it had hurt his soul to put that on, but the costume wants what it wants. This was his first time road-testing this too-expensive, too-leather getup, but hopefully he could use it for a few Halloweens to come. He had an arm up on everyone else, after all.

Keith found a spot between a pickup and a giant SUV just big enough for his roadster and slotted in, snarling at nothing as he parked. “I’m _not_ going in that house,” he bit out.

“You don’t have to stay at all,” Shiro offered. Keith snapped out his door as he punched Shiro’s arm. Shiro held up hand and hook with a little smile. “Just offering.”

“Like hell I’m leaving you to deal with this – this Bogey’s party nonsense by yourself,” he growled as he climbed out of the bucket seat. Shiro laughed to himself as he unfolded from the tiny car, feeling even more like a clown. At least this particular pirate mostly wore black. “Get in, say hi, grab candy, get out by eleven,” Keith ordered, marching towards the house.  Few other stragglers were filtering in – how they were all supposed to _fit?_ Shiro shrugged and closed the car door with his calf, waiting for the beep of the lock before catching up with Keith. He didn’t really want to stay here until dawn, for sure, but really, what was the point of bad eyeliner if no one saw it?

“At least _one_ drink,” he told Keith as they fell into step. Keith bared his teeth at the house.

“I’ll be _outside_.” Shiro laughed, head back, and barely even felt the punch that followed. He was going to have a good time, for the first time in… a while. He could taste it.

* * *

This party _sucked_.

Well, fine, the party was fine. It wasn’t what Allura had described as her plans while she graded papers and Lance forced coffee and Danishes on her overachieving ass, but he had _met_ her uncle. Once he learned Dr. C was helping, he had an inkling of how it would end up. The line of kegs in the backyard and full bar in every first floor room was right up that guy’s alley, as well as the literal buckets of assorted candy on every surface.

No, this party sucked because Lance couldn’t enjoy a single damn _bit_ of it.

Putting on a mermaid tail while he was already on crutches had seemed like a great idea three days ago. He couldn’t walk anyway, so why not make the most of it? Of course, he had forgotten that cheap Party City costumes didn’t have things like bottom zippers or convenience, and once he got himself into it with a little wriggling and a lot of help from Hunk (look, he _thought_ he was a medium, he just forgot that he was getting a women’s costume), he would have to cut himself out just to pee. He wanted to find the person at campus health services who hadn’t invested in those new, not-underarm crutch designs and sprain _their_ ankle and make them use _these_ monsters for five weeks. See how _they_ like it.

Pidge hadn’t even made it inside the house, the press of people too much for their cave nerd sensibilities and sensitive craft foam axe. (Hunk had tried to talk them out of bringing it, but apparently it ‘really brought Meklavar together’. Fucking tabletop dorks.) Hunk had helped Lance clear a path to the first bowl of vodka gummy worms, but had wandered away at the scent of warm cinnamon in what usually functioned as a kitchen. Predictable, but he had Lance’s phone in his fanny pack, so Lance didn’t even have a distraction from how shit this was turning out for him.

He glanced around the room he was in at the moment, sipping on something Dr. C had put in his hand with a wink. It would have been a nice gesture, if he didn’t need that hand to move. He did his best to drain the blue shit as slutty Little Red Riding Hoods and their werewolf onesie boyfriends milled around the nice couches and granite countertops, all of the furniture absolutely drenched in Halloween decorations, yelling over the horror rock, blacklights and spinning projections flickering through the fake cobwebs. The alcohol was good, though, and most of the people were cute. He recognized a few faces from classes and the library and the Starbucks line, but no one he felt the biting need to go chat up, and all the single ladies seemed to be in other rooms. Without his legs, he was pretty much confined to people approaching him, which no one seemed to want to go besides laughing at his costume.

He had never related to “Part of Your World” more.

God, he was _bored_. He downed the last of the blue shit in one head-spinning rush and shoved the Solo cup in an alcove with some artsy books, then gathered up his armpit fortitude and stumped off to another part of the house, slapping shins to make a path and winking at all the witches and sexy cats along the way. He tilted into the wall a few times, but the nice happy drunk people helped him back up with smiles and laughs. God, his arms were _killing_ him.

He needed to _sit_.

* * *

Shiro was maybe starting to think that Keith had a point about this party. From the ambient chatter and overheard conversations, Shiro was able to piece together that the real mastermind behind this _Mean Girls_ chaos was not Allura herself, but her crazy uncle, who used to work in the electrical engineering labs before going industry and knew everyone on campus – maybe in the whole state. Apparently the man had no qualms about hosting all of his former students now that he couldn’t lose his tenure for it. He sure hadn’t held back in the preparations for this – he had to have some kind of deal with a liquor store, and a party store, and maybe an It’sugar. It was a bit overwhelming, if Shiro were honest with himself. He hadn’t been to a lot of parties since high school, at first because of basic training and his deployment, and then for… other reasons. Since he was a few years older than most of his classmates, it felt odd at times to go out with them for more than study groups. This was probably the most people he had shared one space with since his calculus lecture.

A few people he kind of knew had stopped to talk to him for a bit, to compliment his costume or ask how _he_ knew Allura or Coran, her uncle, but they floated on past Shiro’s corner of a couch to their own friends and lives. He sighed, relaxing into the sheet-covered cushions, sipping his beer like he was actually comfortable. He might end up leaving earlier than planned… no, he should try to find Allura and say hi first, so she couldn’t try to say he didn’t get out of his house and meet new people besides her and Keith-

Someone yelped, and before he could react, someone warm and almost topless toppled into his lap face-first, props clattering around them.

The people nearby that had seen the tumble rushed to help Shiro’s new lap-taker up, but Shiro was faster, setting his beer on the table behind the couch so he could right them, twisting them so they were sitting sideways in his lap, legs over the arm of the couch. Shiro blinked at them and their mermaid wrap, then took the clattery props that the zombie surgeon handed over on reflex. Crutches. _Oooh_.

“ _Ow…_ ” His new couch companion moaned, rubbing his neck with a wince. Their position had put him closer to Shiro’s face than anyone had been in a hot minute, so Shiro could see the individual strands of dark brown hair stuck to sweaty freckles, latte skin flushed to espresso (maybe Shiro should relax on the caffeine).

Shiro adjusted the arm holding them up so the hook didn’t dig into their bare back too much. “You okay?” he asked, rougher than planned.

“Ugh, yeah, sorry, I just can’t with these crutches…” The merman finally looked at him, and Shiro was near enough to feel the breath leave his lungs. “Hi,” he gasped.

“Hi.” Shiro smiled as the almost-familiar face clicked – it was a lecture face, someone he had sat around for at least a class a semester since he started economics, but never talked to, no matter how curious his pre-lecture laughter made Shiro about what other sounds he could make. He didn’t say that now, though. Instead, he tilted his head and asked, “I think I know you?”

Lecture-merman made a choked little noise like Shiro had punched him instead of kept him from breaking his nose on a sofa. “Oh yeah?”

“Polisci 312?” Another punch-wheeze. Shiro frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Crystalline. Marvelous. Powerful.” He couldn’t seem to look away from Shiro’s face – shit, had his eyeliner smeared? More than it already was? The merman licked his bottom lip. “Are _you_ okay?”

Shiro grinned. “You spilled my beer a little, that’s all.” He glanced up and around to see if any of the concerned bystanders were still paying attention, but they all seemed to have labeled the merman’s fall as ‘crisis averted’ and gone back to their previous engagements. Shiro tucked the crutches between the back of the couch and the table as the merman struggled to sit up and slide back off his lap. The couple heavy petting next to them didn’t care, though, and stayed just close enough that he had to stay sprawled across Shiro’s lap if he wanted to stick around. Shiro tried to find some corner of himself that minded and came up dry. He grabbed his beer again and sipped it, locking his other elbow with a twitch of his shoulder to give his lapful a better backrest.

The merman grinned at him, extra-strength from only a foot away. “Captain, is that your hook or are you just happy to see me?”

Shiro laughed, unlocking his elbow to straighten his arm, reaching around the merman in a loose embrace to pull up his coat sleeve to show off his prosthetic. “It’s my hook, actually.”

The merman blinked at it. “Holy shit.” He whipped wide eyes at Shiro, their noses brushing. “It really _is_ you.”

Shiro stared into watery blue. Why was everything so _warm?_ “It’s me?”

“Oh my _God.”_ Shiro let go of his hook and sat back so he wasn’t hugging the merman anymore. The merman grabbed his beer with shaky hands and drained it in one long pull, nose scrunched as Shiro’s eyes shot up. Clearly, this guy had more experience with these party-type situations than him. Or a great gag reflex.

He didn’t get far down _that_ tangent before the merman came back up for air, gasping. He tossed the empty cup to the floor, readjusted his tacky starfish bra from where it had gotten twisted during his fall, and threw his arms around Shiro’s neck, hauling himself up bodily so he could lift his lower body and tuck his tail between Shiro’s leg and the couch arm. Shiro stayed still for this whole affair, biting his cheek against a smile, a steadying hand on the merman’s waist. “So, Captain,” he crooned, leaning into Shiro with a lazy smile. “You caught yourself a mermaid. What’re you gonna do now?”

Shiro tilted his head, his beer mouth saying before his brain caught up, “I think I’ll go to Disney World.” The merman jerk-laughed, loud and in his face. Shiro grinned. “What, you don’t wanna?”

“You’re such a-” He knocked his face into Shiro’s shoulder, the popped collars of his coat and vest crumpling. “You’re such a _dork_.”

“Glad we got that out in the open.” Although really, the niche Disney TV show costume should have really given that one away from the get-go. The merman popped back up, smile glowing up his whole face better than any blacklight. Shiro hooked two fingers through the loop of his hook, locking his elbow to hold his ‘catch’ closer. Just so he didn’t fall again. “You’re not going to lead me to my death and drown me, are ya?”

The merman laughed. “Right now I couldn’t lead us out of a paper bag.” He twisted his fingers in the chain around Shiro’s neck, only glancing down the gap of his open shirt a little. “Bet I can trick someone into getting some more blue shit to drink like normal old air-breathers, though.”

Shiro smiled, rubbing his thumb into the merman’s side to a visible shudder. “Work your magic, then.”

* * *

Lance was in love, and he didn’t even know their last name.

He had managed to trade a favor with a current group project member that happened to walk past their couch cuddle spot to get them a cup of blue shit, passing it back and forth with his next boyfriend pirate captain smolder prince as they yelled in each other’s faces about shared classes and paintball over the bass pounding in their breastbones. The leather of his captain’s costume was sticking to Lance’s bare skin, but if he hadn’t dumped Lance off his very comfortable lap already, Lance wasn’t going to draw attention to anything that would prompt him to change his mind.

Of _course_ he recognized the hot piece of ass that had been in at least half of his classes since freshman year. He had swooned over the back of his head for eons, praying for days when the air conditioning broke in the shitty economics building so he would have to take off his jacket and give Lance a show of rippling back muscles and taut strings moving his prosthetic arm around as easily as a normal arm. Pidge, of course, only ever wanted to talk about seeing a real life body-powered prosthetic and marveling over how it worked, but Lance had always been more preoccupied with the man under the machine. The man that was currently under _him_.

He stole their cup back from his captain, grinning as eyeliner man laughed at his own story about a friend trying to tame a coyote, slicked-back hair starting to fall into his eyes. “You know, for a sexy pirate, you sure do have a cute laugh.” Captain Sexy smiled at him, overpowering from only a few inches away. Lance hid behind the Solo cup. He was so _warm_ now, somewhat intoxicating after being chilled for so long.

“Oh yeah?” He shifted Lance’s backrest, tilting him more on his leather chest than leaning on his hook. “For a skinny mermaid, you sure do weigh a lot.”

Lance gasped, shoving forward to sit up and get in his face, tucking his tail better around Captain Sexy’s (big, _so_ big) legs. “How _dare_ y-”

He bent his ankle just a little too much and hissed, clenching his eyes against the wash of white noise, the party fading away for a few breaths. _Ow_.

A warm hand on his back drew him out, rubbing wide circles against his side. “You okay?” Captain Sexy’s voice asked, husky and deep and right in his ear. Lance’s moan was _absolutely_ just from the pain.

“Fine,” he hissed. He worked his ankles free of their lock around his captain’s calf, letting his sprain fall back to its stasis position that hurt the least. “Just forgot about my stupid foot.”

“Is it broken?”

Lance shook his head, just a little, the high collar of his captain’s coat brushing his temple. “Nah, just sprained.” He clenched his fingers in the fabric under them. “ _Sucks.”_

“I hear ya.” The hand left Lance’s back, the chest under his shifting. He looked up, stars swimming across his eyes, and watching the captain’s _sexy_ throat work as he drank from their cup.

Lance kept his tongue _in_ his mouth, behind a frown. “Ain’t ya gonna ask me how I did it?”

The captain shrugged, tipping back the last of their drink and setting the empty cup on the table behind his head. “Not my business.” He smiled, a little sardonic tuck into a corner. “Personally, I’m not a huge fan of that question, myself.”

Lance’s hand slid down the captain’s shoulder to where the prosthetic cupped his stump. “Oh.” He swallowed. “Guess that makes sense.” He blinked at his captain, who was watching him with steady, unreadable eyes. Lance gave a try at a smile. “Guess that does give you an _arm_ up on all the other pirates here, huh?”

His captain beamed, big and childish. “That’s the plan, Stan.”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “My name’s _Lance_ , silly.”

“Really?” Lance raised an eyebrow at the little smirk. “Not Ariel?” Lance slapped his shoulder, and his captain let out that cute kid laugh again, curling in around Lance with it. Lance focused on not dying as Captain Eyeliner used him as a body pillow, his breath really _fucking_ hot on Lance’s skin. He shivered, arms worming under the dramatic coat and around his captain’s torso, wedging his hands between him and the couch to link fingers together. His captain shifted to accommodate and asked, “Oh, are you cold?”

Lance smiled up at the genuine concern. “Nah.” He winked. “Not anymore.” He nestled in closer, the blue shit sloshing in his stomach with every jostle, party noises pounding through its filter. “You’re a good cuddler,” he mumbled.

“That’s a new one,” his captain muttered back. He scratched his fingers through Lance’s hair, making him melt even more into the deep open V of his shirt and vest. “You know, if I was a real pirate captain, this would be a dangerous place to be,” he said, a murmur Lance only heard because it was spoken right into his temple, lips _almost_ brushing skin.

Lance couldn’t repress another shiver, but covered it by leaning back to smirk at him and snap back, “What, are you into roleplay or…” He gulped, frozen under hot dark eyes and humid breath. “Uh…”

“Shiro!” His captain jumped at the voice, accented and older. _Dr. C you motherfucking cockblo-_ “And Lance, my boy!” The voice bounced into view, and Lance was frozen for a new reason as a perfectly costumed Dr. Frankenfurter with Dr. C’s voice and moustache appeared at their sides, beaming with his unnaturally white teeth blinding them in the blacklight oh God his fishnets were _right there he had shaved for this-_

Dr. C, oblivious to Lance’s breakdown at seeing his old counselor in drag, gave their position a once-over that made Lance feel un _clean_ and winked, big and saucy. “You know, boys, there are plenty of free rooms upstairs, if that’s what you need!”

Captain Mr. Shiro Sir _Shiro is a hot name_ coughed, ears flushed dark red and coming in splotches on his face. “No, uh, it’s okay, Dr. Coran, we’re – we don’t-” But the _terrifyingly accurate_ Dr. Frankenfurter just laughed, head thrown back and loud enough to make other people glance over. Lance clutched Shiro’s shirt for sanity, trying _not_ to look at what was eye-level with them right now.

Dr. C braced his hands on his hips, smiling down at them like some weird old god. “Oh, sure, sure, you kids go at your own pace!” He slapped Shiro’s shoulder hard enough to dislodge Lance’s vice grip. “You boys need anything?” he asked, eyes twinkling in their monochrome makeup.

“No!”

“No, no, we’re good!”

Another boom of a laugh. “Well, if you change your minds, just give a ‘holler’!” He wandered on, perfect in his heels, and got dragged into the beer pong crowd with a host of cheers and raised cups. Lance stared after him and his fishnets for a captured moment, fingers still woven into the straps of Shiro’s coat, heart in his throat. He turned his head on one axis to look at Shiro, who was just as stunned as him, if much redder.

“That… that just happened, right?” Lance asked. Shiro nodded, throat working.

“Uh…” He cleared his throat, still not meeting Lance’s eyes. “Want me to… get us another drink?”

“Um.” Lance bit his lip, heartbeat flooding his ears so he couldn’t _think_. “Uh, sure, that’d be great.” Shiro moved his backrest arm so Lance could slide back – their couch neighbors had left for one of those ‘upstairs rooms’ at some point, Lance had no idea when. Lance tucked his bound legs out of the way so Shiro could stand, shaking out his clothes and oh _shit_ , Lance hadn’t been able to get a good look before but bless every god around that someone in this precious man’s life had watched _Once Upon A Time_ and knew what they had to do. Sexy Captain Hook Shiro smiled down at him, a little sad and weak, but still a smile. “Be back in a sec?”

Lance flashed a thumbs up. “Sure. No swimming away from me that easy.” Shiro huffed, then turned in a flutter of dark trenchcoat to find the punch cooler. When he rounded the corner to the next room and was out of sight, Lance collapsed on the couch, sprawling as much as the tail would allow, fanning himself with his seashell necklace pendant.

Holy _shit._

* * *

It took longer than Shiro wanted to elbow his way through the house to a self-serve bar that still had ingredients. The heat and headiness of a body held to his had almost worn off by then, leaving him to contemplate Dr. C’s implication as he poured whatever mixers there were enough of into two probably-unused cups, layering in the Everclear between. Lord knew it had been a while since he had gotten laid, and his lap mermaid was both definitely his type and _definitely_ into it. He hadn’t come here to get laid – Keith was still around somewhere, oh shit had he seen Shiro flirting? Damn, he would never live it down if he did.

He swirled the mixers and liquor around a bit, then took a taste. Good enough for his unconscious tastebuds. He added a bit more pineapple juice to the other cup – Lance seemed like a pineapple kid ( _oh God how old was he, he should definitely check on that)_ , then scooped it up in his hook, holding his own with his real hand so he could drink on the go. He smiled at a few acquaintances who waved at him, but they didn’t stop his retreat to the couch corner in the front… right (?) room.

Lance was still there, the shiny green of his costume glinting in the fog from the dry ice. Shiro sighed - wait, Lance was talking to someone else now, a big guy who was perched on the arm of the couch next to him. Lance was waving his arms as he talked too fast, emotions sliding over his face faster than the rotating ghosts. Shiro hoped it was just a friend…

Shiro wove around chairs and people to their corner, smiling as the two of them looked up at his approach. It was really cute how Lance tried not to look like he was wagging his tail when he saw Shiro, biting his smile closed in the middle so the corners still turned up, but the flaps of shimmer foam gave him away. His friend (?) watched Shiro with narrow eyes - protective, not jealous. Whew. Just a friend. He gave the friend his best smile. “Hi there. I’m Shiro.”

The friend sized him up, then nodded, leaving back into what he could claim of the sofa, arms crossed over the pattern of his T-shirt. “Hey. I’m Hunk. _Ow!”_ He glared down at Lance, who stuck his tongue out at him. “Rude, bitch.”

“I know you are but what am I?” Lance beamed up at Shiro and ignored Hunk’s pulled face. “Is one of those for me?”

Shiro smiled and held out the cup in his hook. Lance took it carefully, cutting his eyes at his friend. “See, _some_ people are _nice_ to me, unlike-”

“Dude, is that _functional?_ ” Hunk leant in, clutching the couch arm between his knees to get a closer look at Shiro’s hook. “That’s a lot for a costume, holy shit, are you a cosplayer or something?”

Shiro forced a smile as Lance slapped his friend’s arm _hard_. “Hunk!”

Hunk clutched the slapped arm with a pout. “ _What?_ Can’t a guy like a cool prop?”

“ _It’s not a fucking prop you motherf-”_

Shiro drank from his cup for a full count of the alphabet as they argued about decency and courtesy, then set the almost-empty cup on the coffee table at his knee. He shrugged off his coat, about to hang it over his arm - wait, hadn’t Lance been cold all evening? He seemed like the type to think he could live with it, but it was pretty chilly outside. Instead, he tossed it on Lance’s lap, jolting him out of their whispered debate with a squeak and a slosh. Shiro shoved up the loose white shirt sleeve to show off the cables and plastic of his prosthetic, giving Hunk a tight smile. “Not a prop.”

Hunk stared at it for a blink, then slapped at Lance’s shoulder a few times, more silly play than Lance’s forceful shoves. “Lance! Look what you made me do!”

Lance squawked, clutching his cup to keep it from spilling on the coat. “What _I_ did? You stuck your foot in your mouth all by yourself!” He scowled at his friend, then turned big puppy eyes up to Shiro. “I’m sorry,” he said, too low to be heard over the party and all in the lip read. Shiro shrugged and didn’t miss how Hunk tracked the twitch of the bared control cables in his forearm.

“It’s not a big deal. I mean, _I’m_ the one who chose to dress as a pirate.” With a little nudge, maybe. He dug in his pants pocket for his phone to see if Keith had sent him anything from the outside while Hunk and Lance hissed at each other some more. There were only a few Keith texts - odd, he expected Keith to have spammed his phone to pretend to be busy. More importantly, though, it was _way_ after eleven. Papers didn’t write themselves, especially at midterm season.

He sighed and put his phone back, bending to grab his drink again to finish it off. He crushed the cup in his hand and dropped it for Dr. Coran to clean up - this bad mood twist _was_ his fault, after all. He ran his hand through his gelled hair, and whatever Lance was saying squealed to a stop. He smiled down at them. “Sorry - my ride’s ready to go,” he lied just a little. “It was nice talking to you, Lance.”

Lance’s eyes went round, purple and blue in the blacklight. “Yeah?” He shook his head. “No, wait-” He slapped at Hunk’s thigh. “Hunk! _Phone!_ ”

Hunk was already digging in the fanny pack resting on his leg, sighing as he handed a phone in a glittery blue case over. Lance smiled, setting his drink aside as he thumbed at the screen. “Here, let me give you my-”

Shiro noticed him standing too late to stop him, but his reflexes were faster than his mouth even with how much Everclear has just rushed through his system. He caught a footless Lance as he tipped forward, chest thumping into Shiro’s. Shiro held him steady, bared prosthetic scraping over Lance’s skin. He winced - not at Lance’s weight, that was barely a couple of grapes and didn’t even make him shift his feet.

“Ah, hell,” Lance muttered.

Shiro chuckled - laughed. “Are you always like this, or is it just the costume?”

“How _dare_ yo-”

“Dude - didn’t he _tell_ you why he’s - on crutches?” Hunk wheezed out between helpless laughter. He had fallen off the arm sideways into Lance’s empty spot, crying into the couch cushions. Lance scowled over his shoulder at him, still squished against Shiro, and was it weird that that felt natural now?

“Worst wingman ever.” Lance huffed, then looked up at Shiro with his watery eyes. “Well, there goes _that_ , I guess.”

“There goes what, exactly?” Lance blinked, so Shiro propped him up so he could take Lance’s phone out of his hands, already open to a new contact page. He tapped his information in, then sent a message to himself, all while Hunk struggled for life on the sofa, the (half-empty) party pulsed around them, and Lance watched his face like it was fireworks instead of cheesy ghost shadows bursting in the background. Maybe it was the vodka talking, but Shiro could really get used to that look.

He finished with Lance’s phone and pressed it into his hands with a smile. “There.” Lance licked his lips, and Shiro’s vodka eyes tracked it. “I’ll… I’ll see you in class, yeah?” His mouth quirked. “I’ll need to get my coat back at some point, after all.”

“Yeah.” Lance coughed. “Yeah, yeah, you will. You’ll get it alright.” He pushed off Shiro to flop back on the couch, staring at him and breathing hard and totally numb to the squirming friend he was sitting on. Shiro waved, hook clacking, and ran for the door before he really did take Dr. Coran up on that upstairs offer.

The shock of an October midnight hit him hard after the heavy steam of Lance in his lap. He sucked it in as he stood on the doormat, the party still going on behind him. He had to get _out_ of here. He had to find-

“Shiro?”

He opened his eyes and looked over to Keith’s voice. He was curled up in a porch swing with someone in furs and foam armor, a big bear of a cloak folded around them. Shiro raised his eyebrows. “New friend?”

“Not really.” Keith extracted himself from the swing and cloak, the bench hitting his legs with the new momentum from his jump off. “You sure you don’t need a ride?” he asked his not new friend. The fur shrugged, then pulled tighter, only the straw of a wine cooler poking out into the low set of the helmet.

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” a higher voice than Shiro expected said. “You go on, I’ll catch you later.”

Keith nodded, leaving them on the porch alone to hop over the landscaping and head to where they had parked the car. Shiro waved at the fur pile, then went down the front path like a normal person, lengthening his stride to catch up.

Keith cut his eyes at him as they fell into sttep. “Where’s your coat?” Shiro didn’t answer, and Keith groaned. “Shiro, if you _lost_ that expensive-ass thing _already-_ ”

“I didn’t lose it.” He smiled, tilting his head back to look at the few stars he could see through the trees and the streetlights. “I’ll get it back.”

Keith snorted. “Yeah, sure you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: Hunk's costume is The Rock circa _Central Intelligence_ while Keith has a "This is My Halloween Costume" shirt on. [tumblr](http://carriecmoney.tumblr.com) [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/carriecmoney)}


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: So... I decided I needed to do some more silly pointless fluff to remember how to write again. Kind of using this as my nano, even though I'm way far behind, so I'll just update until I feel better about writing again :) [tumblr](http://carriecmoney.tumblr.com) [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/carriecmoney)}

From: Lance!  
It’s Lance :)  
Sat, Oct 27, 11:43 PM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Hi lance, sorry for running out on you like that. I did enjoy talking to you tonight :) I can take you somewhere nice to make it up for you if you want!  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:11 AM

From: Lance!  
Like a date????  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:42 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
I mean if that’s okay with you?  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:49 AM

From: Lance!  
WHY WOULD IT NOT BE OKAY WITH ME  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:50 AM

From: Lance!  
Your coat is really warm btw ;)  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:50 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Too warm sometimes  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:52 AM

From: Lance!  
When ur wearing it for sure ;))))  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:53 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
So that’s a yes then?  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:53 AM

From: Lance!  
God it’s lucky ur hot  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:54 AM

From: Lance!  
Take me out on the town captain  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:54 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
You got it  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:56 AM

From: Lance!  
Imma sleep now  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:58 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
You do that  
Sun, Oct 28, 12:59 AM

From: Lance!  
You doo that too :*  
Sun, Oct 28, 01:02 AM

* * *

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Feeling okay?  
Sun, Oct 28, 9:43 AM

From: Lance!  
Been better…  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:01 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Haha, how long did you stay after I left?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:06 AM

From: Lance!  
Too long…  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:09 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Did you get home safe, then?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:09 AM

From: Lance!  
I think so? I don’t actually remember it  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:11 AM

From: Lance!  
I DIDNT BLACK OUT I JUST FELL ASLEEP ON THE COUCH  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:12 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Hahahahaha  
  
That’s cute  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:13 AM

From: Lance!  
Hunk brought me home while I was out which is why I don’t remember!! I’m not like that I swear!  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:14 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Did you wake up in the tail still?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:14 AM

From: Lance!  
Ugh yes  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:14 AM

From: Lance!  
Never let me wear that again, we literally had to cut it off  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:15 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
/can/ you even wear it again then, if it’s cut up?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:17 AM

From: Lance!  
…God you’re right  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:18 AM

From: Lance!  
I’d like to thank not only god but also jesus  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:18 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
My coat made it home with you, right?  
  
And don’t be so hard on it, it was a good costume while it lasted  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:19 AM

From: Lance!  
Yeah I still have it! I might have been wearing it when I fell asleep… It’s warm and I’m not sorry!  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:22 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Good. Unlike you, I do plan on wearing that again haha  
  
You mentioned something like that last night…  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:23 AM

From: Lance!  
I mentioned many things last night that I would pay you to forget  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:23 AM

From: Lance!  
I’ll return it asap I promise!  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:23 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Too late for that ;) but I’ll take being able to take you to dinner as a replacement for payment  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:24 AM

From: Lance!  
Noooooooo that’s the opposite of that!  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:27 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Not for me it’s not  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:28 AM

From: Lance!  
What are you, some kind of sugar daddy??  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:29 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Only in comparison to you broke college kids lol  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:29 AM

From: Lance!  
Are you… not a college kid??  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:29 AM

From: Lance!  
I mean of course I can tell ur a little older but it’s hot so  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:30 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Well, I’m still in my 20s if that helps  
  
But yes, I had a life before I came back to school. Hope that’s not too weird?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:33 AM

From: Lance!  
So does that mean like 23 or like 29.75???  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:36 AM

From: Lance!  
I mean no judgment zone but like… I gotta  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:37 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
It’s okay :) It means 26  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:39 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
I know it’s probably not what you were expecting, I get it if you think it’s weird.  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:43 AM

From: Lance!  
It’s not that weird!!  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:43 AM

From: Lance!  
I mean sure it’s not what I’m used to but who cares about that??  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:43 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
:)  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:44 AM

From: Lance!  
I’m not that asshole who’s gonna judge a guy for not going straight to college or whatever  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:45 AM

From: Lance!  
Besides, my parents are like 11 years apart so it’s not like THEY can judge  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:45 AM

From: Lance!  
Oh god I already mentioned parents I’m so sorry I’m gonna stop now  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:45 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Lance, it’s okay, I get it  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:46 AM

From: Lance!  
Fuck man I’m sorry, I’m still kinda hungover  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:48 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
It’s fine :) Go get something to eat?  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:49 AM

From: Lance!  
Yeah. Yeah that’s a good idea. Thanks  
Sun, Oct 28, 11:51 AM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Of course. Feel better :)

* * *

 

From: Lance!  
Hey shiro, I’m really sorry for freaking out on you earlier, I was just surprised and being stupid. I promise I really don’t think you being older is weird and I still want to hang out with you and I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable :(  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:12 PM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
It’s okay, Lance. You might be surprised, but it’s happened before :)  
  
I understand if you just want to be friends, though. I can back off, no hard feelings :)  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:25 PM

From: Lance!  
BOO! No way! You promised me dinner :( And since you’ve got $$$ we can go classy!  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:28 PM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
I’m not /that/ rich haha. But we can do better than waffle house every now and then.  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:30 PM

From: Lance!  
Don’t u dare shit on waho it’s my religion!! Screw catholicism they don’t have choc chip waffles  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:31 PM

From: Lance!  
U coming to 312 tomorrow?  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:31 PM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Haha whatever you say  
  
Yeah, I try to be there when I have a good reason to :)  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:33 PM

From: Lance!  
Cool… Gotta go dark to finish the stupid paper or else I’ll never get it done but I’ll see you then?  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:35 PM

From: Shiro (Captain)  
Sounds great :)  
Sun, Oct 28, 5:35 PM

* * *

“Hey there, old-timer.”

Shiro jumped in his desk, turning too fast at the voice at his shoulder. Lance smirked at him, bent at the waist so they were eye-level with each other, only a foot away from Shiro’s nose. “You scare easy, huh?” Shiro wrinkled his nose, leaning away from Lance’s presence. Lance chuckled and straightened, dumping his bag on the floor by Shiro and taking the desk next to his, juggling his crutches to not foul up his feet. This classroom had rolling chairs with a small desk attached, so Lance rolled in closer, leaning over to rest his elbows on Shiro’s leftie desk and prop his chin in his hands. “Hi.”

Shiro smiled, ears hot under his hat. “Hi there.” There were a few people already in the room, including the professor, which kept Shiro’s hands to himself. Instead of petting Lance’s rabbit-down hair, his fingers fiddled with the stapled corner of his printed-out paper. “Come here often?”

Lance snorted, pushing off Shiro’s desk to lean back in his, lacing his fingers together over his stomach. “Oh, y’know, every now and then.” He grinned. “I like your hat.”

Shiro yanked it off. “Uh, yeah, ah- a friend made it for me.” He pulled on the uneven knit of the black and purple lines so he could see fingers and hook through it, lopsided puffball flopping around. He cleared his throat. “So, uh, how’s your paper?”

Lance moaned and laid himself over Shiro’s desk, hands brushing Shiro’s thigh. “Papers are the _worst_ ,” he whined into plastic, voice smushed. Shiro patted his head with a flat hand, biting a smile back.

“There, there,” he said over Lance’s moan. “You lived, didn’t you?”

“ _Barely_.” Lance pushed up to glare at Shiro. “You’re one of those bitches who finishes everything, like, a week early, aren’t you?”

Shiro shrugged. “Sometimes.” He smiled. “Actually, I had to leave the party early to finish this one.” Lance rolled his eyes, and Shiro grinned. “Speaking of, do you think I can get my coat back? It wasn’t cheap.”

Lance tapped the side of his nose with a little smirk. “I had a different thought in mind.” He leant on Shiro’s desk again, fingers curling against his cheeks and jaw in his palms. “You show me that good time you promised,” he said, low enough that their growing number of neighbors couldn’t hear, “And _maybe_ you get your coat back.”

Shiro’s smile lifted at one corner. “Really? You’re going to hold my Halloween costume hostage two days before I need to wear it again?” He was close enough to see the momentary panic flash through Lance’s eyes, so he hurried to add, “Guess I better get moving fast, then.”

Lance released a breath, confident front falling back into place. “Keep me posted, _captain_ ,” he said, leaning back to his actual seat. He winked before looking away, bending over and digging through his backpack at his feet. Shiro watched the red bloom on the back of his neck for a moment, then stood to join the small group of people preemptively handing in their papers at the front to give him a moment to recover.

* * *

“Look, Allie, babe, I’m just sayin’ it’s not _healthy_ for you to- oh!”

“Whoa, watch it there.” Lance sucked in a breath as a warm hand held his elbow steady, voice hot and familiar when it asked, “Lance?”

Lance looked up at patient dark eyes, smiling and _very_ close, and panicked, screaming behind bit-closed lips. Shiro snorted, stepping back so Lance could swing all the way in the door of the coffeeshop, the crutches the only thing holding him up from faceplanting on the hardwood. Lance tried not to fall on his face as Allura kept holding the door for him as he danced, snickering behind his back and oh, she was totally going to pay for this later. Right now, though, Lance’s shock overrode all his other negative emotions as he blinked at Shiro through his maneuverings, standing there in a damned navy overcoat and brown slacks like a fucking Calvin Klein model and _smiling_ at him. Lance swallowed on a dry mouth. “Shiro?”

“That’s my name.” He flipped his white bangs out of his eyes as Allura squeezed inside behind Lance. “Hi, Allura.”

“Shiro, good to see you.” She let the door shut, cutting off the cold October air gusting down the sidewalk. “Sorry I missed you at the party, I was - distracted.”

He chuckled, hot soup pouring down Lance’s spine. “It’s fine, I figured as much.” He winked at Lance. “We found our own ways to occupy ourselves.”

“So I heard!” Lance slapped at Allura blindly with a crutch and just missed her ankle. She ignored his presence with the ease of practice. “Well, hopefully, the next party won’t be as… chaotic.”

Shiro grinned. “Might want to make sure Dr. Coran is out of town, then.” She moaned, dropping her face in her hands, and Shiro hot-soup laughed again. His eyes flicked to Lance, still frozen on the doormat. “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m already late for class, so…”

Lance blinked. “Oh!” He hopped out of the doorway, face hot. “Sure, no problem!”

Shiro made to leave - paused with his hand on the door. He smiled at Lance, eyes soft. “I’ll… text you about dinner, okay?”

Lance shivered, hands tightening on the sweaty foam of his crutches’ handles. “Sounds great!” he squeaked. Shiro grinned, then pulled his adorably tacky hat down over his ears and shouldered out of the coffeeshop, walking fast back towards campus.

Lance slumped on his crutches when he was out of sight, letting out a long breath. Allura patted his shoulder. “There, there. Let’s grab a table and you can tell me all about it,” she said, the low tones of her Queen’s English washing over him.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat and scooted around so he was facing the right direction again, crutching over to the counter. Allura beat him to it, rattling off the too-caffeinated order he had been trying to talk her out of the whole slow walk here. He frowned at her when he caught up, but got interrupted from his rant by the red-eyed murder look from the barista at the register. Lance frowned and asked, “Can I _help_ you?”

“No.” The barista growled behind his stringy bangs, punching on the register’s buttons hard enough to make it shake. “What do you want,” he snapped.

Lance ground his teeth. “Well if you’re gonna be _like that-_ ” Allura cleared her throat, and Lance swallowed the rest of his speech. “Medium dark roast, I guess,” he grumbled. It probably wasn’t a good idea to pile on another complicated order on top of Allura’s with whatever _mood_ this dude was in. The barista huffed, but rang it up without another word, barely telling Allura the total in human sounds through his snarl. Lance narrowed his eyes, but kept himself from making a scene by the seat of his pants and Allura threatening to steal one of his crutches with a hand and a glare. Allura paid for both of them, then herded Lance away from the danger zone to a table the farthest away from the counter.

“Please stop trying to start fights in public,” she said when they were out of earshot of the screaming foam wand. Lance gasped.

“Excuse you! You saw that, he totally started it!” Allura shook her head, but sat down at the rickety circle table, hauling out her laptop from her backpack as Lance settled himself down and tucked his crutches out of the way. Allura and Pidge both liked this place for studying, since it was just far enough away from campus that it wasn’t swamped at class exchange but close enough to walk to without risking your life too much. Lance kept getting dragged along to keep them company - they seemed to think he needed a keeper when it came to homework, which was totally unfair. He could _absolutely_ do his work on time. Cuban time, at least.

That wasn’t today’s assignment, though. Today, he had a stack of JSTOR article links she wanted to use in her thesis to review for relevancy. Of course, she could normally do these herself, but all of this selection were written in Brazilian Portuguese, and she couldn’t speak Portuguese in any of its dialects. She could bluster her way through the Spanish ones with her (kinda bad) conversational Spanish from her vacations growing up, but this was a whole new territory for her. Which is why Lance had free coffee.

He borrowed a chair from the neighboring table to prop his bad foot up on, then opened his own laptop on his lap. Allura was already spreading out her materials across the table, each stack of papers in a precise order. “So,” she began in that therapist tone that always put Lance into Defensive Child mode. “You weren’t lying about Shiro, huh.”

Lance gasped, pressing his hand to his heart. “Allura! Do you honestly think so little of me?” She shot him a look, and he rolled his eyes with a smile. “Okay, _fine_ ,” he conceded, “I’ve bent the truth a _little_ before. But not this time!”

She hummed. “I believe you, now.” She shot him a sly look over the top of her laptop. “Now that I’ve been an eyewitness.”

Lance groaned, hiding his face is his hands. “Am I that obvious?” he moaned through his fingers.

“Well, yes.” She chuckled. “But so is he, so it’s fine.”

Lance sat up straight. “He is?”

“ _Lance_.” She banged her face into a keyboard. “You’re _hopeless_.”

“Look, you can’t expect me to believe _that guy_ is still into me after, like, two days of texting, okay?” He slumped down in his chair, pouting at his facebook feed. “Most people aren’t.”

“Hey now-”

 _SLAM!_ Lance flailed in his seat, laptop almost falling off his legs. The angry barista was glaring at him - Jesus, how had he gotten that close that fast that quietly? Lance’s heart pounded in his ears as the barista shoved his coffee in his face. “Don’t you _dare_ hurt him,” he growled, shoving two fingers in Lance’s face. Lance leant back away from them, eyes wide.

“Hurt who?” The barista just glared for an answer and spun away, stomping back to his safe space behind the espresso machine and leaving Lance even more confused than before. He glanced at Allura, who had her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. “What just happened?” Lance asked, voice shaky.

Allura shrugged. “The ghost of Shiro’s past telling you to be a good date?” Lance wrinkled his nose, and she sipped her terrible ‘coffee’ in return. “Now, get to work. I need at least three good sources for this section.” He wrinkled his nose, but righted his laptop on his legs, opening their facebook chat to scroll for the first link she had sent him the night before. He glanced over his shoulder at the barista, clanging and banging behind the giant espresso machine where Lance could only see the top of his dark head. He stuck out his tongue at it, then settled into the hard chair for a long afternoon of Brazilian pretentiousness and cold coffee.

* * *

From: Captain Sexy  
So I’ve been thinking…  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:13 PM

From: Lance!  
Ooh??  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:15 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Thoughts on sushi? Do you have any allergies or anything?  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:15 PM

From: Lance!  
OH HO  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:15 PM

From: Lance!  
I like sushi!! Not my constant go-to but I can deal with it when I’m in the mood :)  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:15 PM

From: Lance!  
And I get really itchy when I have pine nuts but that’s about it  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:16 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
That’s good :)  
  
Thursday or Friday good for you? I mean, only Thursday if you don’t have Friday classes obviously  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:17 PM

From: Lance!  
Either works!!! But Friday’s better… Big project due on thurs and I’m gonna be dead until tgiving  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:18 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Fair enough. I can pick you up maybe? So you have to ‘walk’ as little as possible :)  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:19 PM

From: Lance!  
Pulling out the big guns, huh? Gonna bring me flowers and kiss me at the door? ;)  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:21 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I mean if that’s what you want...  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:23 PM

From: Lance!  
Stop it  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:24 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
If that’s what you want ;)  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:25 PM

From: Lance!  
STOP IT I NEED TO STUDY  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:27 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Sounds like a personal problem...  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:29 PM

From: Lance!  
Man I can’t believe I ever thought you were responsible  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:31 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Lol, I should tell keith that  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:35 PM

From: Lance!  
Who’s keith?  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:35 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Roommate/old friend. Thinks he’s my mom sometimes even though he’s younger than me. Don’t feel bad if he hates you at the start, he hates most people  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:38 PM

From: Lance!  
Sounds like an asshole  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:39 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha a little bit  
  
Don’t worry, he’ll come around :)  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:42 PM

From: Lance!  
Damn he really is ur mom lol  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:44 PM

From: Lance!  
Can I just say: fuck statistics  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:48 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Hear hear  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:51 PM

From: Lance!  
I’m not getting an econ concentration to learn MATH  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:53 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Oh yeah? Then why are you? Econ is just math with a dollar sign in front of it after all  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:54 PM

From: Lance!  
Because it looks good next to inta and I have terrible enably friends who told me itd be easy until it was too late  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:57 PM

From: Lance!  
Ofc they abandoned me in my time of need tonight T__T  
Tue, Oct 30, 9:58 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
How terrible of them  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:02 PM

From: Lance!  
I KNOW!  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:03 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I’d offer to help but I’m probably no better off than you  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:05 PM

From: Lance!  
You don’t know how bad I am at math :’)  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:08 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I’m sure I’ve tutored worse than you, you’ll do great :)  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:11 PM

From: Lance!  
Your confidence is life-giving  
Tue, Oct 30, 10:12 PM

Shiro smiled at his phone, tongue in his teeth as he read Lance’s latest text. Keith had kicked him out of the apartment so he could practice for his band’s concert that weekend, so Shiro wandered back to campus to find an empty study room in the library to camp out in until he didn’t have to deal with bass vibrating through the walls and Keith trying to pretend he wasn’t a diva about the whole thing. He had taken his time getting over here, stopping for coffee and taking the scenic walk, pausing when he needed to so he could text Lance back. He had never been a big texter – it had taken him a while to learn how to do it one-handed again – but it was fun to talk to someone new for once. Even with the constant low-key paranoia that he was going to fuck it up again, like he somehow managed not to do with the whole ‘I’m six years older than two-thirds of our class’ conversation. _Somehow_.

He glanced in each of the study rooms he passed, looking for one that didn’t have some poor kid crying over a textbook or a laptop, but it was midterms and everyone was hiding in the library from the pain. Maybe he could still get into the student center-

He stopped, staring at ruffled brown waves flowing through skinny fingers, red-lined blue eyes glaring at the wall in profile to the glass of the door. Shiro’s heart pattered in his ears like he was a stupid teenager again, the background noise of the air conditioning and muffled study chatter fading away. The fingers yanked on hair as Lance shoved back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head with a grimace, eyes clenched shut. Shiro gripped his phone tight, watching Lance lean back into a straight line, sharp hipbones jutting out above his jeans, sticking his tongue out with his yawn. Oh _no_ -

Lance’s eyes popped open and landed right on his through the glass. Lance froze, eyes widening. ‘ _Shiro?_ ’ he said, inaudible through the glass.

Shiro’s mouth quirked – ah, screw it. He shouldered open the door, smiling. “Hi. Sorry if I threw off your groove.”

Lance collapsed out of his stretch with a big huff. “What groove?” Shiro took the chair across from him as Lance fiddled with his papers and laptop. “You track my phone or something?” he asked, winking over a smirk. Shiro shook his head.

“Nah, I was just looking for a room to work in until my roommate got done practicing and stumbled by yours.” He dropped his bag and leant forward to peer at Lance’s textbook. “So. Stats, huh?”

Lance moaned and faceplanted on his keyboard, pencils rolling and papers fluttering with the gust. “Kill me now,” he groaned, rolling his face back and forth on his keys and probably typing a whole mess of gibberish. Shiro’s eyes narrowed as he slid Lance’s textbook a little closer so he could see where he was stuck. Shiro wasn’t the _best_ at statistics, per se, but he was good enough for government work. Lance kept whining into his computer, voice unbreaking – he had good lung control _Takashi no_.

“You know, they don’t give extra credit for the longest keysmash in history.” Lance threw a hand up to flop it down hard on the table. Shiro tilted his head, considering the spectacle in front of him. “Does whatever you’re working on have a deadline in the next twenty four hours?”

Lance grumbled. “Not really.” He lifted his head enough to prop it in his hands, only eyes visible over the top of his laptop. The red and dark circles around them made the blue stand out more, pupils contracted in the fluorescents to pinpoints. “It’s a project due on Monday,” he said, “but I have no idea how to even _start_ it.”

Shiro surveyed the room and made a field decision. “Well, you’re not going to get anywhere tonight.” Lance gasped, but before he could argue, Shiro closed the textbook and slid it back across the table to him. “You hungry?”

Lance blinked. “I thought fancy dinner da- _date_ was Friday?”

Shiro grimaced. “Shit, we did say that, huh.” Shiro scratched at his head under the edge of his hat. “Well, I mean, if you want to wait until then, that’s fine…” He tilted his head with a smile. “You just look like you could use some Waffle House.”

Lance narrowed his eyes, then slammed his laptop shut. “I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.” He paused in shoving his mess back into his backpack to wag a finger at Shiro. “But you’re buying.”

Shiro held up hand and hook. “As you wish.” Lance wrinkled his nose, then spun his chair around to wrestle his laptop charger out of the wall outlet. Shiro stood, slinging his messenger bag over his head. When Lance reached for the crutches leaning against the wall, though, Shiro’s skin prickled. “Oh, wait, I don’t want to make you walk all the way on-”

Lance shushed him with a lot of hand waving and spitting, floundering as his chair kept rolling and spinning without his consent. “No! You promised me waffles, and I’m _getting_ my damn waffles!” He strapped his backpack on while still seated, then hauled himself up onto his crutches, adjusting them before pointing at the door. “You first, Mr. Waffle Buyer.” Shiro tucked away a smile, leading the way out of the study room as Lance shuffled around the tricky wheel legs of the chairs, winking at Shiro as he passed him out the held-open door. “Thanks,” he said, voice scratching. Shiro smiled.

* * *

Waffle House was warm and welcoming after the cold, slow walk from the library. Lance sighed as he collapsed in the booth, leaning his crutches so they wouldn’t accidentally trip the waitress. Shiro slid in opposite of him, ducking out of his messenger bag and unbuttoning his coat. Now that Lance was noticing, Shiro never seemed to wear bright colors, all dark neutrals, and rarely wore clothes that didn’t cover from neck to elbow. Today it was that navy overcoat again and a charcoal turtleneck, loose and bunched low on his throat and it looked pretty soft…

“So.” Lance jerked, bouncing back up to Shiro’s eyes. “I feel like we kind of did this backwards.” At Lance’s head tilt, he continued with a little smirk, “What’s your name, what’s your major?”

Lance groaned, sprawling back on his bench, their legs knocking under the table. “You’re _terrible_.” Shiro shrugged, picking out on of the table menus and flipping it to the breakfast side. Lance didn’t even bother, instead crossing his arms over his chest and putting on the peppiest tone he could muster at almost eleven on a Tuesday night, “Hi, I’m Lance McClain, third year inta polisci with an econ concentration! Nice to meet you!”

Shiro chuckled, chin in his hand as he cat-blinked at Lance. “Hi, Lance McClain. I’m Takashi Shirogane, sometimes called Shiro. Economics major, dabbling in the polisci stuff but not enough for a minor or anything.”

Lance leaned in, forearms braced on the table. “Takashi? That’s nice.” He tilted his chin up. “You not like it or something?”

“Or something.” Their waitress came over on the kitchen side then, and Shiro smiled up at her. “Hi. Can I get coffee, please?”

Lance frowned at him. “Coffee? It’s almost midnight!” He wrinkled his nose with his glare. “And weren’t you _just_ telling me about taking a break when you need one?” Shiro opened his mouth, but Lance kicked him (with his good foot) and cut him off with a swipe of his hand. “Sorry, ma’am, we’re _both_ having orange juice,” he told her. She rolled her eyes with a smile, but wrote it down, walking away as she yelled to her coworker in Waffle House code.

Shiro tried to frown at him, but his smile came through in his eyes. “Did you just order for me? When _I’m_ paying?”

“Were you planning on getting caffeine after eight?” Shiro frowned, a confused line between his eyebrows. Lance huffed. “Of course you’re one of those ‘lives on espresso’ types, huh?” Lance pointed at him, leveling a glare over his fingers. “New first date idea,” he said, “in-house spa day. You _need_ it, punk.”

‘ _Punk?_ ’ Shiro mouthed, but shook it away. “But I really wanted to take you to dinner,” he said instead. Lance breathed hard against the heat in his face.

“ _Well_ ,” he reasoned, “you already are right now. So you can say that you have, huh?”

Shiro’s face flattened. “Waffle House is not a first date.”

“Uh, excuse me, we’re here, we’re alone, and you’re paying, so I’d say this counts.” Shiro snorted, jerking back with a lip curl. Lance raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve got some other criteria for ‘first date’?”

Shiro floundered, fingers searching across the laminated menu. “It has to be - it has to be _intentional_ , damn it.” The searching fingers found his hook and tugged, the little bit of give there making for a great fidget toy. “I need to know exactly where I’m taking you, and what I’m wearing, and what _you’re_ wearing, and doors to hold open-”

“Whoa, buddy, slow down,” Lance said through a laugh. “Anyone ever tell you you’re an overthinker?” Shiro grinned, ducking so his bangs fell in his downturned eyes. Lance kicked him again. “We can save all that stuff for the second date, I don’t mind,” he said. “Besides, you’ve already held open enough doors for me.”

Shiro huffed. “Well, I guess that’s not _not_ true.” The waitress came back with their orange juice, setting the two cups down in front of them and pulling out her pad to take their food orders, still bantering with her coworker. Before Lance could rattle off how he wanted his hashbrowns, though, Shiro hooked his foot around Lance’s good ankle with a smile. “I _will_ be making it up to you,” he mumbled.

Lance grinned, face hot. “I’m waiting for it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: Putting this one out there before I go out of easily accessed internet for the holiday. If I time it right I might have another update when I get back... we'll see. Lots of friend bonding and texting in this one! No typo checking we put up chapters unbetaed like men [tumblr](http://carriecmoney.tumblr.com) [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/carriecmoney)}

From: Lance!  
So I woke up this morning, remembered it was halloween, and remembered I’m holding your nice costume hostage…  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:32 AM

From: Lance!  
Do you actually want it back for any shenanigans tonight?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:33 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha, no I’m actually staying in, got too much work to do and not enough good places to go to put it off for.  
  
Thanks for thinking of me though!  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:59 AM

From: Lance!  
Boo :( You could come over to my dorm! Me and roommate and other friend have a shitload of movies lined up lol  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:03 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
That’s nice of you, but I think my roommate would kill me in my sleep if I left him with the trick or treaters again… We don’t get that many but it’s enough that he’s scarred for life from last year  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:10 AM

From: Lance!  
Aww, you guys actually get trick or treaters??? That’s super cute!! You sure you don’t want your coat for them?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:32 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Nah, it’s too hot to wear around the house for that long, just wearing the vest and stuff will be fine for them… Most kids think I’m some kind of pirate in normal clothes anyway :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:37 AM

From: Lance!  
LOL that’s good shit  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:39 AM

From: Lance!  
Do the parents always get upset when they do that?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:40 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Every damn time  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:43 AM

From: Lance!  
LOLOLOL  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:44 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Honestly, kids who think I’m a pirate are the best, except when they try to pull on my hook  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:47 AM

From: Lance!  
Does it hurt/is it breakable?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:52 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Well, its not /fragile/, but its not indestructible either, and its not built to lift a whole lot of weight, esp not a childs worth  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:58 AM

From: Lance!  
Awww, there go my dreams of you carrying me around ;)  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:59 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Sorry sweetheart, my PT and my engineer would be very mad at me if I did that :)  
  
But I probably could do it with just the one arm…  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:04 AM

From: Lance!  
Churchfaint.gif  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:05 AM

From: Lance!  
SNIPED FROM ACROSS CAMPUS  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:05 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Hahaha, don’t die on me now  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:07 AM

From: Lance!  
TOO LATE YOU BITCH  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:09 AM

From: Lance!  
BOUT TO MAKE A SCENE IN MY GERMAN LECTURE FROM THIS /IMAGE/  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:09 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
You’re taking german?  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:12 AM

From: Lance!  
Trying to, it’s kicking my ass  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:18 AM

From: Lance!  
It’s like if English had a really angry uncle who makes up his own words and can’t hear good so he yells at you all the time and it offends my caribbean spanish soul  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:20 AM

From: Lance!  
But I won’t let it win. I will overcome the pissy german uncle with my might and good looks  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:21 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
I don’t know how much a language cares about how pretty you are, but I believe in you  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:28 AM

From: Lance!  
*3*  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:35 AM

* * *

For the first time since spraining his ankle, Lance was significantly early to his (and Shiro’s) political science lecture, thanks to his German professor not running over like she usually did and a lucky catch of the around-campus shuttle just as he got to its stop. The class before was still gathering their things to leave, so Lance leant against the wall by the door to check his Instagram feed, crutches held in the crook of his elbow and bad foot tucked out of the way of anyone who might want to trip on it. He scowled at his phone – he had set his social media apps to German at the beginning of the semester to help with the transition from home Spanish, which mostly worked, except when his brain kept trying to replace it with a weird mix of Portuguese and English when he didn’t recognize a word right away because it was a _jerk_. What was _erwähnt_ again…

“Hey there.” Lance looked up as Shiro paused in front of him, his cute little tilted smile on and face red from the chill outside.

Lance grinned, face red from the heat inside. “Hey there, good lookin’. Fancy seeing you here.” The last straggler left the classroom, so they both went inside, Lance sitting at the first desk he found while Shiro rolled some around to bring the leftie one to his side. Lance bit his lip on his smile as Shiro settled next to him, hiding it by fussing with his crutches’ lean against his backpack.

“You know,” Shiro said, drawing Lance’s attention again, “I expected more of you.” He grinned at Lance’s raised eyebrow. “I thought you’d at least _try_ on Halloween to dress up, even if your mermaid tail was ruined.” He leant forward a little to check out Lance’s front. “Not even a spooky shirt? What a shame.”

Lance laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, uh, I woke up late today and didn’t have time to think about what I was putting on, and I’ve got back to back classes until now…” He narrowed his eyes at Shiro’s persistent grin. “You’re just pulling my leg, aren’t you?”

“Now that would be just mean. Your leg is injured, after all.” Lance frowned harder, but Shiro just snickered like a freaking eight year old with a fart joke. Shiro sat back in his desk, crossing his ankles in front of him and his arms over his chest, holding his prosthetic’s elbow to keep it in place. He wasn’t in his pirate’s costume, but he _had_ put in the effort Lance had forgotten to, an old pumpkin-y flannel open over a black shirt and pants and his usual tacky purple knitted hat exchanged for a gaudy orange. Shiro cocked his head at him, one perfect eyebrow raised. “You okay?”

Lance shook himself out of it, rubbing at his face. “Fine, just – tired.” He faceplanted into his desk with a groan, hands hanging limply at his sides. “College _sucks_ ,” he whined into the cool plastic.

Shiro chuckled. “I’ll give you that.” A large hand patted his shoulder, wide and warm. Lance pressed his hot cheek harder into his desk. The hand slid away, but Lance kept his face turned away, chewing his lip against his smile, until the professor called the class into order a few slow minutes later. He sat up enough to face forward, just catching Shiro’s soft look out of the corner of his eye. Lance smiled.

* * *

From: Lance!  
Why do my friends have shitty taste in movies  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:48 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Yours and mine should start a movie club  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:54 PM

From: Lance!  
Nobody actually LIKES troll 2 it’s just easy to get drunk to  
Wed, Oct 31, 7;55 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Drink responsibly, children  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:56 PM

From: Lance!  
Yes daddy  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:57 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Why.  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:58 PM

From: Lance!  
LOL just testing the waters girlfriend ;)  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:58 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I’m breaking up with you, stealing my coat was one thing but this is *the last straw*!  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:59 PM

From: Lance!  
NOOOOOO BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BABY!!?!  
Wed, Oct 31, 7:59 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
WHAT BABY  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:02 PM

From: Lance!  
:OOOOO  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:04 PM

From: Lance!  
THIS baby!  
attached: IMG_20181031_200432.jpg  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:05 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha, the friend with the bad taste in movies?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:05 PM

From: Lance!  
One of them, that’s hunk cowering like the baby he is from this NOT SCARY movie  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:07 PM

From: Lance!  
This is the real terror here, pidge  
attached: IMG_20181031_200802.jpg  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:08 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Truly horrifying  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:10 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Here’s my cryptid  
attached: IMG_20181031_201031.jpg  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:11 PM

From: Lance!  
HAHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT THATS AMAZING  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:12 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Sometimes it’s easier to tell people I have a cat than a roommate.  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:12 PM

From: Lance!  
WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING UP THERE??  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:12 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
“the tv looks better up here”  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:15 PM

From: Lance!  
Uuuuh I have been told to tell you to tell him that pidge says hi?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:21 PM

From: Lance!  
Also they asked what he’s watching  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:22 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
He says hi back, return of the living dead, and no, he won’t tell me how they know each other either.  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:26 PM

From: Lance!  
God they’re so weird  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:28 PM

From: Lance!  
“ooh that’s a good one we should watch that after” um I think the fuck not  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:31 PM

From: Lance!  
This has been a halloweentown-less house for HOURS too long  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:33 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Lol  
  
I swear, the trick or treaters get smaller every year.  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:34 PM

From: Lance!  
I bet they’re cute af tho  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:38 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Oh always, and it’s usually mostly the same kids so it’s fun watching them grow up and stuff, and they love my pirate hook haha :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:43 PM

From: Lance!  
Awww that’s precious  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:43 PM

From: Lance!  
Pirate hook you say? ;)  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:44 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
You’re not very subtle are you?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:44 PM

From: Lance!  
I never said I was a role model ;)  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:44 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
attached: IMG_20181031_204545.jpg  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:45 PM

From: Lance!  
WRRRRRRRRROWW!!! (Smiling Cat Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes )(Smiling Cat Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes )(Smiling Cat Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes )(Smiling Cat Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes )  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:45 PM

From: Lance!  
I take it back you’re never getting the coat back you have to wear that every day for the rest of eternity  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:45 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Hahaha, I mean eventually it’ll get smelly I’m sure  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:46 PM

From: Lance!  
No, the glory of you will keep it spotless  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:46 PM

From: Lance!  
For the record: this movie is The Worst Movie  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:49 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
So I’ve heard…  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:51 PM

From: Lance!  
So how long have you two been in that house?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:53 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Since just before I started school, at first it was just me but then keith followed me a few months later  
  
His uncle owns a few rental properties around town, so we have pretty cheap rent and he gets an easy tenant and a happy sister :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:56 PM

From: Lance!  
That’s a sweet ass deal and I approve of nepotism  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:57 PM

From: Lance!  
P much everyone in my family but me and my sister run our hotel back home, and it’s a big ol pile of connections and cousin’s sister’s fiances haha  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:58 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
That sounds fun. Where’s home?  
Wed, Oct 31, 8:59 PM

From: Lance!  
Cuba!!  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:01 PM

From: Lance!  
So you could say that business has had its ups and downs through the years lol  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:02 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I can imagine… You didn’t want to stay, though?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:04 PM

From: Lance!  
I mean, I love the place, but I felt like I needed to explore a little before I could really be happy there forever, so I applied to a bunch of colleges in the states and this is the one that helped me the most with a visa :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:05 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I’ll have to thank the admissions office one day, then.  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:07 PM

From: Lance!  
Awww *3*  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:10 PM

* * *

“Lance. _Lance!_ ”

“Ah! Wha? Wha!”

Pidge kicked his side, foot barely reaching over Hunk’s lap, and scowled over their pile of blankets. “Fucking astronaut dreams over there, you back on the planet yet? It’s your turn to get up and change the movie.”

Lance gasped, hand to his heart. “You _dare_ suggest that an _invalid_ like me take _steps?_ ” Pidge lowered their head to glare at him over their glasses. Lance pouted, but their scowl just deepened. Lance fluttered his eyelashes up at their shared footrest. “Hunk, my darling dear?” he crooned.

Hunk groaned, rolling his eyes as he pushed both of their legs out of his way so he could stand, dancing around the coffee table and muttering complaints that Lance didn’t bother to try and understand to the XBox that was their DVD player for the night. He huffed and puffed as he switched out the terrible, awful _Troll 2_ disc for the far superior perennial classic of _Halloweentown_. Pidge kicked Lance’s knee again, then threw some candy wrappers at him for good measure. “Spoiled princess,” they grumbled.

“I know you are, but what am I?” His phone buzzed on his stomach, and he jumped to flip it over and open the new text from Shiro, Pidge’s indignant squawking fading back to white noise.

From: Captain Sexy  
Do you get to go home often? I hate to admit it, but I’m not all caught up on the current relationship with us and yours… But it seems like it might be complicated?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:14 PM

From: Lance!  
It’s a lot easier now than it was when my sis came to the states… now SHES a trooper  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:14 PM

From: Lance!  
But it’s still not as often as I’d like :( Planes are expensive :((((  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:14 PM

“Lance, move your feet before I break your other ankle.” Lance gasped, but lifted his legs up and out of Hunk’s way, plopping them back down when Hunk was seated on the terrible cardboard dorm couch again. Pidge and their blanket puddle curled back under Hunk’s arm, taking the controller to flip through the DVD menu to turn on subtitles and start the wonder. Hunk turned some super unfairly judgey eyes on Lance, flicking between his phone and back in the orange light of the TV. “You still talking to Shiro?” he asked in his obnoxious ‘I’m not being nosy I’m just concerned for your wellbeing’ tone.

“Yeah? And what’s it to you?” Hunk reached for his beer, lips pursed and thick eyebrows raised. Lance groaned, loud and long, and flopped back on the one nice pillow in their dorm’s common space. “Let me live my _life_ ,” he whined, draping an arm over his eyes.

“I’m just _saying_ ,” Hunk began, “That _maybe_ you should check his temperature and take a step back-”

“ _Hunk!_ ” Lance cried, throwing his hands up. “Just because _some_ people think I’m ‘too much’ and ‘come on too strong’ does _not_ mean that’s a _bad_ thing!”

Pidge sighed. “We’re not starting this movie any time soon, huh.”

“Lance, we both know I love you to the moon and back, but sometimes you can be… a lot.” Hunk sighed, running a hand through his hair and sticking it up everywhere. “Look, I can tell you really like this guy, and it doesn’t seem like he hates you, I just don’t want you to stick your foot in your mouth before he gets to know you, okay?”

Lance frowned, something hot building behind his eyes. “So you want me to shut up and leave him alone, huh.”

“No! … Yes? Maybe, ugh, I dunno.” Lance’s phone buzzed; his hand clenched around it. Hunk’s profile crinkled in the TV light, not looking at Lance but at the glittering wands and chattering skeletons of the DVD menu. He took another pull of his beer - his fifth of the night. Even for Hunk, that was enough to get him just past tipsy. “I just hate watching you hurt yourself,” he muttered to the glass neck.

“Hunk.” Both Lance and Hunk looked down at Pidge, their glasses pushed up top of on their head and their jaw set. “That’s enough.”

Hunk blinked fast a few times, then looked over at Lance at last. His eyes blew wide, and he scrambled to put his bottle down and scoop Lance into his arms, nearly braining Pidge with Lance’s knee and burying his face in Lance’s fluffy robe collar. “Oh, man, I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry!” Lance flailed, arms pinned to his side by Hunk’s embrace, phone slipping to where they were pressed together at the ribs. “You’re a wonderful person and a wonderful friend and you should talk to whoever you want to!” Hunk squished their cheeks together, drunk waterworks already starting to drip over Lance’s face. Lance tried to reach for Pidge with big eyes, mouthing ‘ _help me’_ as the air was forced from his lungs. Their blanket cocoon scooted away, shaking their head fast enough their glasses went lopsided.

Lance bent his arm as much as he could to pat Hunk’s wrist. “It’s okay, buddy. I know - I know you’re just looking out for me.” Hunk sniffed, face deep in Lance’s fluff. “But this time’s different. I promise.”

“I hope so.” Another sniff. “I really hope so.” Lance smiled, knocking his head to the side to rest his cheek on Hunk’s forehead. He and Pidge made eye contact, and he flicked his to the TV, still idling on the title menu for _Halloweentown_. They nodded and found the controller again in their blankets, hitting play and settling far away from Hunk’s arm reach. Lance squirmed enough to weasel his phone out from between them, getting one arm free to hold it up and stare at the blinking green dot on the black screen. He took a deep breath and unlocked it.

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha, I understand that. Most of my flight history I didn’t pay for with money, but they found other ways to make me pay. Mostly in shitty flights :)  
  
C-17s really lose their charm when you have to go over the ocean in them.  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:17 PM

From: Lance!  
Lol I can imagine. Ive watched enough ncis to know that one  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:23 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Please never speak of that show to me again  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:24 PM

From: Lance!  
Lol  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:26 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
You know I almost expected a really terrible daddy joke there :P youre off your game already?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:29 PM

From: Lance!  
Sorry hunk decided its cuddle time so I’m one hand texting  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:33 PM

From: Lance!  
He’s a hugger esp when hes sad drunk  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:34 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Ah. Did troll 2 make him sad?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:35 PM

From: Lance!  
Nah he made himself sad like a baby  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:37 PM

* * *

_THUMP!_

Shiro jumped on the couch, clutching his phone to his chest as he whirled to the crash. “Jesus, Keith! You’re gonna ruin your knees!”

Keith shrugged as he stood, rolling his shoulders back after his leap off his previous perch on the outside of the landing railing that overlooked their living room. “Knees are replaceable.” He glanced at their front door. “Think they’re all gone?”

Shiro took a deep breath to calm his overacting heart. “Who? Oh, the trick or treaters?” Keith sniffed, and Shiro’s shoulders fell a little as he smiled, hands dropping to his lap. “Yeah, I think we’re in the clear.” Keith nodded once, then marched over to the candy bowl by the door, snatching it up and joining Shiro on the couch, curling up just out of touch. Shiro kicked up his boots on their ottoman, putting his standard arm on the back of the couch above Keith. Keith frowned at his feet.

“Go take that stupid thing off.” He ripped the wrapper of a small Hershey’s bar open. “And take off your arm while you’re at it.”

Shiro shook his head with a smile. “In a minute, KK. When the movie’s over.” He reached into the candy bowl and fished out a KitKat, holding it with his teeth while he pulled it open. His phone vibrated on the cushion next to him, and he juggled chocolate and plastic to hold the candy in his teeth while he wiped his hand on the couch before picking it up.

From: Lance!  
Holy shit I just realized I did the one arm thing uh oh  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:42 PM

From: Lance!  
Do you want me to make a big deal about it or do you want me to stop caring about it unless you tell me to stop?  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:44 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Gotta be honest, it would be nice to have someone not walk on needles around me about common arm metaphors and stuff  
  
Just like… don’t call it my fake/real arm? I dont know why but it feels weird  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:46 PM

From: Lance!  
That seems legit  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:47 PM

From: Lance!  
Be honest, how many times have you made the ‘can you give me a hand’ joke  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:49 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Enough times that keith has banned it from the house :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:50 PM

From: Lance!  
LOL thats great  
Wed, Oct 31, 9:55 PM

From: Lance!  
Gotta put my friends to bed and then sleep myself… you take care:)  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:12 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
You too :)  
Wed, Oct 31, 10:13 PM

“You’re still texting that guy, huh.”

Shiro looked down at the top of Keith’s head, resting on a pillow by Shiro’s leg as he stared at the end credits of their zombie movie. The candy bowl had been moved to the floor at some point so Keith could lay down, curled up tight and socked feet rammed in between the couch cushions. In the TV dark like this, between his hair and his ratty black sweats he usually slept in, Keith was a black hole on the green couch, like a pure black cat on a white carpet. Shiro put his phone on the couch arm so he could run his fingers through Keith’s hair. Keith sighed, fetal curl loosening a little. “Yeah,” Shiro answered, “I am. He’s fun.” He grinned. “I don’t know if you’re gonna like him at first, though.”

“Breaking news: grass is green.” He turned his head a little so Shiro could lift the hair from his neck and scratch up his scalp from his nape. Keith wasn’t always in a mood to be touched, so Shiro took the chance to mess his hair up enough that he would have to use conditioner next shower, twisting it around his fingers and brushing it all in a fan on the pillow so he could see the side of Keith’s face, eye closed and mouth parted. Keith hummed, fingers laced together in a tight grip. “If this jerk dumps you,” he growled, losing a bit of its edge from his yawn, “I’ll track him down myself and shoot his brains out.”

“You say these things, and yet you ask me every day why I won’t tell you the combination on the gun safe.” Keith frowned without opening his eyes. “No, I’m _not_ telling you the combination on the gun safe.”

Keith grumbled. “You’re never any fun.” The tape in the old VHS player Keith had insisted they keep ran out, catching on the end and turning the TV to white noise. Neither of them made any move to get up, though. Shiro was too comfortable in the silence and the dark to disturb it by getting up for real bed. His stump was getting a little sore from wearing his arm way past when he usually took it off, but it was worth it for the kids’ faces when they came face to face with a real pirate. He should really wash this bad eyeliner off, too.

“Two weeks.” Shiro blinked down at Keith, who cracked his eye to look up at him. “If you still like this guy in two weeks, then I’ll give him a shot. _One_ shot.” He held up one finger for a few seconds. “If he fucks it up, I’ll make his life hell until he goes away.”

“You’re such a charmer.” He ruffled Keith’s hair, then stood, groaning as his back popped with his stretch. “Have it your way,” he yawned. “I’m going to bed.”

“Take off your arm!” Keith called when Shiro was halfway up the stairs.

“Turn off the TV and sleep in a real bed!” Shiro shot back. Keith’s snort was audible through the whole house, but the _ting_ of the static fading away sounded out a few seconds later. Shiro shook his head and went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: I hope y'all signed up for pointless conversations and mindless flirting because that's all I've got for y'all. [tumblr](http://carriecmoney.tumblr.com) [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/carriecmoney)}

From: Lance!  
Sorry I had to run after class – quiz in my next one I couldn’t miss (Loudly Crying Face ) but I’m super excited abt our date tonight!!  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:22 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
That’s okay :) I’m excited, too :):):)  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:31 PM

From: Lance!  
Life sucks when it suddenly takes 5x longer to get anywhere…  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:33 PM

From: Lance!  
So where are you taking me?? :3cc  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:34 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha that didn’t work the 3 other times you asked, sweetheart. Won’t work now.  
  
Just be ready and outside your dorm @ 6:30 :)  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:38 PM

From: Lance!  
Uuuugh ur killing me smalls!! But fine, keep ur secrets…  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:40 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
You’ll like it, I promise. Just don’t mess up the car, it’s a rental  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:42 PM

From: Lance!  
Oooo pulling out all the stops, huh?  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:43 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
All the stops of twisting my roommate’s arm and bribing him with a guitar center gift cert to let me borrow his baby, yeah :P Just pretend you don’t have a corporeal form while you’re in it and he might let you live…  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:46 PM

From: Lance!  
Awww so no backseat shenanigans? ;)  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:47 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
I think he might actually murder us if we did, but it’s a moot point because there is no backseat haha  
Fri, Nov 2, 12: 48 PM

From: Lance!  
(Eyes ) (Eyes ) (Eyes )  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:48 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
And I’ve said too much. See you tonight ;)  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:50 PM

From: Lance!  
Noooo captain come baaack  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:51 PM

From: Captain Sexy  
;)  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:51 PM

From: Lance!  
Meanie butt  
Fri, Nov 2, 12:51 PM

* * *

Six twenty-five came and found Lance sitting on the brick wall outside his dorm, kicking his feet and leaning on his crutches as he stared down the one-way road for headlights. He was a hundred percent sure that Hunk was watching from their common room window upstairs, but at least he hadn’t insisted too much on coming down to the sidewalk with Lance like a mom chaperoning her fourteen year old daughter’s first date. It was a little chilly outside, the sun already set autumn early and a breeze ruffling the ends of Lance’s scarf. He checked his phone again – Shiro’s ‘omw ;)’ text was sent seven minutes ago, and if he lived in the neighborhood that Lance suspected he did, he should be driving up any second now…

Headlights bumped around the corner, and Lance leant harder on his crutches to check them out. A little red something pulled up in front of him, tiny and old and weightless, probably about the same feeling as driving a tin can with a V6 in it down the road. The driver’s door opened and Shiro stood up, the top of the car barely at his waist when he leant on it and smiled at Lance over the roof. “Hey.”

Lance grinned. “Hey, you.” He hopped off the wall, getting his crutches under him to cross the sidewalk as Shiro came around the hood to get the door, the headlights glinting over the shiny material of the dark shirt under his peacoat. “You sure this thing’s road safe?” Lance asked, giving the ‘car’ a side eye. Shiro chuckled.

“As much as both of us could make it.” He held Lance’s crutches as he lowered himself to sit on the freaking ground, the bucket seat was so damn low. “And don’t insult the car when Keith’s around, we want him to like you.”

“It’s not an insult if it’s a safety hazard.” He took his crutches back and arranged them between his knees and over his shoulder, the tops of them bumping against the hard top. Shiro closed the door and went back around to his side, somehow slotting his very wonderful bulk into this clown car. Lance fought to put on the seatbelt under the crutches as Shiro put the car into gear. It was almost warm in the car, heater running at full blast on Lance’s ankles, and the radio was playing some rock group Lance didn’t recognize. Lance looked over to ask about it – hey, wait. “Is that a new arm?” he asked.

Shiro smiled, flexing the grip of his pincher around the gear shift. “Not new, just different. I can’t drive with my hook.” Lance watched it as he downshifted for a stop sign, then upshifted as he turned out of campus towards what counted as ‘downtown’ in this college town. He had never paid as much attention to the arm’s functions as Pidge, but watching the tension strings tighten and loosen with his shoulder movements was almost hypnotic. “If I’m honest, I shouldn’t be driving at all…” He winked at Lance. “But as long as we don’t get pulled over, no one has to know.”

Lance swallowed, hugging his safety crutches a little tighter. “And why’s that?”

Shiro sighed and sat back a little, eyes fixed on the road. “Well, I can’t get a normal license anymore, not since I lost my arm, and the retrofittings they’ve got for you to be able to one-hand drive legally are weird and I don’t like them. And I _definitely_ shouldn’t be driving stick.” He shifted gears again, the car barely stuttering with the change. He sighed. “I don’t drive that often anymore, but it was too much a part of me to let it go completely.”

Lance rested his temple on the hand grip of one of his crutches, watching Shiro’s profile as street lights flickered by. “Were you a professional driver or something, or just really into cars?”

Shiro shrugged, only with his left shoulder. “A little of both, I guess. Me and Keith have always been in the garage, mostly because of his dad, then because of his mom, and then just because we wanted to be. And when I enlisted, they recruited me and trained me up as an armored vehicle specialist…” Another one-shoulder shrug. “It’s been an adjustment.”

The unknown rock band kept grunging away on the low volume radio as Lance watched Shiro’s jaw grind, his dark eyes hard on the road. Lance knew he should say something, something thoughtful and kind and reassuring, but his mouth opened up and spat out, “That’s rough, buddy.”

Shiro snorted – laughed, slamming on the brakes too hard at the stop sign so he could bang his forehead into the steering wheel, shoulders shaking. Lance nervous-laughed, knuckles going white around his crutches as Shiro fell apart in the driver’s seat of his roommate’s car. After just a few seconds too long, Lance reached out and rested his hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Shiro?”

Shiro sucked in a long breath, then sat up, wiping his face on his collar before setting his shoulders again and getting back on the road. “I’m fine. I promise.” His throat worked, and Lance tracked every bump. “It’s been a few years, but sometimes it still feels like yesterday…” He groaned with a grimace. “Ah, damn, this isn’t what I wanted to open tonight with, I’m sorry.”

“No! No, it’s okay!” Lance put on a smile. “I asked a question and you answered – standard first date stuff, really!” He leant forward a little, bracing on his crutches, seatbelt digging into his shoulder. “Fair is fair, now it’s your turn to ask me something weird and make me relive my past.”

That got a real, not-hysterical laugh, small but there. “Maybe I’ll save it for the appetizer.” He slowed down as they drove through the downtown shopping strip of their college town, dodging pedestrians and parallel-parking cars. “I usually don’t break out the damage until at least the second date,” he said, “but I’m not really a fan of skirting around the truth, either.”

Lance grinned, tapping Shiro’s shoulder with his fist. “Then let’s make a promise not to lie to each other, huh? Not about big stuff, at least.” He winked at Shiro’s side eye. “I can’t help it if I grew up lying about what I got everyone for Christmas, after all.”

Shiro laughed again, eye crinkles almost invisible in the dark. “Already thinking about that, huh?”

“Dude, Christmas is only _seven weeks away_. Do you know how _hard_ my sister is to shop for?” Lance waved his hands around as he kept shouting, “She only ever asks for like, socks and shit, but gift cards are ‘impersonal’, and she’s rich as hell and doesn’t _need_ anything.” He collapsed on his crutches with a melodramatic groan. “The _worst_ sister.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Shiro turned down one of the side streets to go into the quieter shops and restaurants behind the main strip. “Is she the same one who – ah, shit.”

“What?” Shiro pulled into a tiny gravel parking lot in front of a low white building, small and quiet and very closed. He frowned at the rickety ramp up to the front door as Lance looked between Shiro’s narrowed eyes and the CLOSED sign in the window. “I’m guessing it’s supposed to be open?” he ventured, leaning forward just a few inches.

Shiro huffed, drumming on the steering wheel. “Knew I should have called Mr. Nakamura,” he grumbled. A little louder, he explained, “The owner is an old family friend. They make good food here, but he’s getting old and comfortable enough that sometimes he just… doesn’t open. Don’t know why I assumed he wouldn’t do it on a _Friday_.” He tried to smile at Lance. “Sorry about that.”

Lance kicked his good foot against the door. “Oh, don’t you be sorry, it’s not your fault! Besides, what’s a good date without something happening to it?” He hooked his chin over a crutch handle, ears brushing against cool metal. “You got any backups?”

Shiro’s nose wrinkled. “Well…”

“Too bad, ‘cause I do.” He tapped the pincher around the gear shift. “Go back to the strip and find a parking spot. We’re going to space Denny’s.”

“What?”

“Just _drive_ , Captain Sexy.”

“ _What?_ ”

“You heard me, mister!” Shiro laughed, shifting into gear to spin the clown car around to get back on the road. Lance grinned, hot face warming up the aluminum of his crutches as he kept staring at Shiro’s profile in the city dark.

* * *

Lance took Shiro to the diner in the middle of the strip that Shiro was positive he had never been to sober, where they stayed open until two in the morning and served ‘the best shakes north of the Caribbean,’ according to Lance’s loud rambling as he crutched down the sidewalk to the diner. It had a mix of fifties soda shop furnishings and star-studded wallpaper, shiny chrome and neon matching both aesthetics and blending them together with club sandwiches and sticky linoleum tables. It was also kind of crowded, although not late enough to be jammed with drunks in recovery yet. They ended up having to sit at the counter, Lance’s knee bumping into Shiro’s every time he spun on his stool as he kept on rambling, keeping up a steady stream of filler chatter that Shiro shouldn’t have been invested in… But just when he thought he had Lance figured out, he would throw out a completely unrelated fact about himself that made Shiro wipe the board clean of who he thought Lance was and start over from scratch.

They were picking at each other’s fries when Lance asked, “So, Mr. I’m-So-Prepared-I-Only-Had-A-Plan-A, did you have any dessert plans or am I gonna have to save that part of the date, too?” Lance winked, big and hammy, as he licked salt off his fingers, blue eyes sparkling in the pink neon. Shiro shrugged, knocking their knees together and keeping them there under the counter.

“Dunno. I was kinda craving Mr. Nakamura’s flan, but I’m flexible now.” He stole two of Lance’s fries and wiped them on the inside of his almost-empty milkshake glass to catch some chocolate. “We could try out that new ice cream place down the street, maybe.”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “Too damn cold for ice cream.” He pulled the light jacket he had worn under his big fluffy coat tighter, burrowing into his scarf. “I must maintain the internal temperature of Cuba at all times or I’ll turn into a Yeti.”

Shiro snorted. “Do it, then I can give you to Keith as a present.” Lance pouted, so Shiro elaborated, “He’s a cryptid hunter. Well, more like enthusiast. He’s never _really_ gone hunting. Just walked in the woods behind our houses when he was way too little to do it, looking for Bigfoot and stuff. He’s never gone to Jersey or Washington or anything.”

“Shiro, babe.” Lance leant in, their thighs fully pressed together now, to smirk and whisper, “Do you realize how much embarrassing blackmail material you’ve given me on this guy in just a few sentences?”

Shiro couldn’t blink, caught by Cuban warmth and blue-pink glitter and ‘babe’. “I bet he can give you worse about me,” his mouth said. Lance laughed, knocking his head into Shiro’s shoulder (and catching on one of his arm’s strings a little, but that’s okay). He sat back up straight, hands tracking down Shiro’s arm over his shirt until they found plastic and metal, Eyes still smiling, he looked down at Shiro’s nonstandard wrist, pulling on the string that made his pincher open and close idly.

“I doubt it.” He smiled up at Shiro. “There can’t be _anything_ worse than hunting Bigfoot.” He patted the plastic case of Shiro’s forearm before releasing it. He groaned and reached for his crutches, sliding off the stool to find his footing. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” he said, glaring at the almost-drunk girl who almost banged into his bad leg, spinning straight to a beam when he turned back to Shiro. “And then let’s get out of here and go get some coffee or something, yeah?”

Shiro smiled. “Sounds good.”

* * *

Lance was grateful he had his crutches, because if he didn’t have something sturdy keeping him upright, he might be melting on the pavement outside this coffee shop. And that would suck, because he liked this coffee shop, and he would like to come back sometime and not have to explain why he turned into liquid on their landscaping.

Shiro looked back at him, leaning on the door that he was holding open for him – the seventh door of the night, but who’s counting? Shiro cocked his head, cute streaky bangs drifting in the light breeze. “You coming in?”

Lance pouted. It wasn’t _fair_ that he could just _exist_ like that. “Let an invalid _be_ ,” he whined, taking his time over the curb from the parking spots. This part of town didn’t really have any night life, only the coffee shop and the pizza place open past eight, so they were able to get a parking spot right in front of the door, which Lance’s arms thanked them for.

It also meant it was darker and quieter on the street, so there was nothing to distract Lance from the soft smile Shiro had been wearing since they sat down in the diner earlier and the rumble of his voice when he chuckled and said, “Sorry, sweetheart, you’re not getting any sympathy from me.” He clacked his pincher on the glass of the door as Lance passed by into the warm embrace of the goldstone-toned coffee shop. “At least yours grows back.”

Lance gasped, pausing just inside as Shiro stepped in and let the door swing shut behind them. “You really are just the worst, aren’t ya?” Shiro grinned, that cute one that curved up more on the right. Lance tapped his leg with a crutch. “Just terrible.”

“I do what I can.” He gestured with his chin at the old couches shoved in a corner of the café. “Go take a seat, I’ll get coffee. What do you want?”

“A latte. Decaf!” He hit Shiro’s leg again, a little harder. “You better not overload on the caffeine anymore, mister, it’s way too late! It’s not healthy!” He craned his head around to look partially over his shoulder at the counter and call across the empty café, “Don’t let him order real espresso, you hear me?”

“Please don’t yell,” the bored barista at the register countered, scribbling on a marker-covered cup. Lance stuck his tongue out at her, then slapped Shiro with a crutch again to a little ‘ _hey!’_ and a laugh before stomping his way over to the couches, flopping down in their cushy depths and almost throwing his crutches between the wall and the back of the couch. He slung himself sideways on the couch, his back propped on the arm and bad leg on the back of the couch, then dug out his phone to check his notifications while Shiro talked in low voices with the employees behind the counter.

From: Light Of My Life <3  
 Yo, need a rescue yet?  
Fri, Nov 2, 8:15 PM

From: The Injured Idiot  
Excuse u, I never need a rescue! And no it’s going great (Smiling Cat Face With Heart-Shaped Eyes )  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:03 PM

From: Light Of My Life <3  
I’m going to skip the part where I list off all the times I’ve had to rescue you, but know that they were listed in my head.  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:03 PM

From: Light Of My Life <3  
So he’s not a creep? You’re //sure//? Like sure sure?  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:03 PM

From: The Injured Idiot  
If he’s a creep he’s hiding it real well. He wouldn’t even buy his own beer so I could have some :( We’re getting coffee @ the rock now, and yes he’s paying for everything like a GENTLEMAN  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:04 PM

From: Light Of My Life <3  
I’m still staying awake until you get home so don’t you dare go home with him. Fluid hw will only keep me awake for so long and I don’t want to have to find out where this fucker lives.  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:04 PM

From: The Injured Idiot  
Be nice bro, he’s really a good dude I promise. I don’t think he’d let me go home with him even if I asked in my special way. He’s a saint like that  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:04 PM

From: The Injured Idiot  
A wonderful powerful gorgeous saint  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:04 PM

From: The Injured Idiot  
Our babies will be smart and beautiful  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:05 PM

From: Light Of My Life <3  
Just come home soon. And maybe lay off the baby talk until date 2…  
Fri, Nov 2, 9:06 PM

“Hey there.” Lance looked up from his frantic texting with Hunk as Shiro sat in the armchair cattycorner to Lance’s couch, setting his latte down on the table between them. Lance sat up so he wouldn’t spill it all over him like a fool. “Sorry about the wait.”

“No, no worries! I was just telling Hunk that you hadn’t killed me or dragged me in a back alley to have your wicked way with me or anything weird like that.”

Shiro raised a perfect eyebrow over his mug. “Murder and rape are ‘weird’?”

Lance stuck out his tongue at him. “Don’t get semantic on me, mister.” Shiro’s eyes crinkled, and Lance sat back with his latte, sinking into the lumpy couch. “I’ve had some – unique first dates since coming stateside,” he admitted to his foam. “I guess Hunk’s not _entirely_ overreacting.”

“Well, good thing this isn’t a first date, then.” Lance tilted his head, lowering his mug to chest level. Shiro smiled. “It’s our second one, right?”

Lance pressed a hand to his heart. “Hark! Is that my captain, admitting that Waffle House _is_ acceptable date food after all?” Shiro shrugged, hiding his smile behind his mug. Lance narrowed his eyes. “What did you order?” he asked in his mom’s low, threatening tone. Shiro rolled his eyes and held out his mug for Lance to smell.

“Just hot chocolate, _mom_.” Lance narrowed his eyes, snatching the mug to taste for himself. No espresso, but definitely a nice kick of chili at the back of his mouth. He had kinda missed that… maybe he should get one of these next time. Tonight, he just nodded and handed it back. “And people think _I’m_ the older one,” Shiro muttered.

“Look, when you have as many little family members as me, you learn the Mom Voice as soon as you can. And la chancla.” He pointed at a knickknack across the café, some old coffee pot covered in rust hanging on the wall. “I could hit that from right here if I wanted.”

Shiro gave the coffee pot a look. “Really?”

“Well, not with _these_ shoes,” he said, plopping one boot up on the table, followed by the fluffy sock pulled on over his ankle wrap. “You need the aerodynamics of a real sandal to make it fly right.” He slid down a little on the couch, resting his warm mug on his chest. “I’ve gotten pretty good with an empty water bottle, though.”

Shiro snorted, whipped cream spraying on his face a little. Lance grinned, face warming (from the coffee). “A water bottle?” he asked, wiping some cream flecks away with his thumb. He missed a few white dots on his nose, but _Lance_ wasn’t about to tell him that. Lance blinked – focus.

“Yeah, they’ve got about the same…” He mimed throwing something, frowning as words in every language but English came to mind. “The same…”

“Trajectory?” Shiro supplied. Lance grimaced, flopping his hand around.

“I dunno, they just _feel_ the same.” He sipped his latte, blinking a few times as the tumbling words settled back to their usual Spanglish in his head. “Can you smell physics?” he asked the air, staring into vacant space.

“You have a strange way of looking at the world.” Lance looked over at Shiro, who was curled up in the armchair as much as his big legs would let him, chin in hand and pincher around his mug. “I like it.”

Lance’s lips parted, face heating up. “Yeah?” he said, voice cracking. Shiro nodded, eye half-lidded over his smile. “You’d be the first,” he admitted.

“I doubt that.” Shiro grinned his best, but Lance looked away from the sun. “Lance? You okay?”

“S’fine, it’s just…” Lance pulled a knee up to his chest – his _other_ knee, ow – wrapping his arm around it to pin it tight, latte following to still be in sip distance. He bit his lip, staring into his dissolving foam. “Usually I… run people off by now.” He refused to look up, swirling his coffee around instead to watch the foam rim circle. “Hunk tells me that I can come on too strong too fast and stuff like that… I just like people, y’know?” He sighed. “It sucks when you want something to work so hard that you just blow it up on your own.”

“Hey now.” Shiro stood, drawing Lance’s attention from his latte as he stepped over Lance’s outstretched leg (and barely even had to try, _God_ this man was hot) to sit next to him on the couch, dark eyes serious. “I don’t think you’re coming on too strong at all, I promise.” He smiled. “Well, I mean, you are coming on _strong_ , don’t get me wrong, but I like it, okay?” He clinked their mugs together. “Besides, if anyone’s ruined anything tonight, it’s me.”

Lance hummed, leaning his cheek on his knee. “I guess you’re right there, captain.” His lip got back between his teeth. “But you’ll tell me? If I’m ever too much?”

“I promise.” He took his mug from his pincher so he could drink from it without spilling it everywhere. “And _you’ll_ tell me when I need to move a little faster, yeah?” He kid-grinned. “People usually tell _me_ I’m too slow.”

“Aaw, but that’s cute!” Lance let go of his leg so he could lean into Shiro’s space, resting his mug on Shiro’s locked arm. “It’s like you want to _romance_ me, like some late-nineties romcom romantic interest or something!” He rested his cheek on Shiro’s shoulder, ignoring the bumps and ridges of the arm coupling still tangible through the peacoat. “Oh, Mr. Darcy, _oh!_ ”

Shiro chuckled. “You want me to sit here consumed with lust for the rest of the evening?” he asked, leveling a sparky gaze at Lance, only his mug between them. Lance licked his teeth.

“Only if you want to.” He snorted. “Hunk would slaughter you, then me, if I didn’t come home tonight, though.”

Shiro shook his head. “Can’t make the best friend angry on the first date, it’s bad form.” Lance backed off a little, giving him room to move his arm again and not be smothered by Lance’s twig weight, but still touching where Lance’s folded legs bumped into Shiro’s thigh. “Mine would _definitely_ kill us both if I brought you home tonight, too,” he said, eyes flicking to the cafe counter. Lance followed his gaze, but only saw the top of the barista’s head behind the espresso machine and the bored girl from earlier packing up the pastries. “Maybe another time?”

Lance grinned. “Another time sounds _great_.” Lance curled up a little more, gingerly setting his bad foot to hang off the edge of the cushion, fluffy hood of his coat bumping up around his ears. Shiro turned to face him a little, resting his prosthetic on the back of the couch by Lance’s shoulder. It wasn’t warm, but Lance’s ears burned anway. “Maybe another time when I don’t have to stop and scream every time I bump my foot on a piece of fluff,” he grumbled, glaring at his fuzzy purple and orange sock. Shiro chuckled.

“Yeah, that’d be a real mood killer.” He gave the sock a smirk. “So, how long are you crutch-bond, anyway?”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “The doctor said five weeks, so I’m about halfway through it. But crutches _suck_.” He bumped his latte into Shiro’s chest. “If Pidge ever dares you to do a flip, _don’t do it_.”

Shiro choked on a laugh. “Really? _That’s_ what happened?”

“There was a lot of buildup, okay? And dorm floors are slippery!” Shiro kept chuckling, eyes closed and even more whipped cream fluffing up to dot his face. Lance frowned, but pulled his jacket sleeve down over his palm to wipe it away. The touch startled Shiro, though, freezing him mid-laugh as he jerked in place. Lance pulled his hand back, but when Shiro just blinked at him a few times, he went back to his task, wiping all the little white dots away. “You’ve - got whipped cream everywhere,” he explained, tongue fat in his mouth.

“Oh.” When the dots were gone, Lance pulled back for real, shoving his hand under his arm and holding it tight. Shiro closed his mouth to swallow. “You - don’t,” he said, eyes hazy. Lance held his big tongue in his teeth.

“I’d hope not, I don’t _have_ whipped cream in my drink. Lattes and whipped cream should never be combined, it’s a war crime.” He grinned. “At least, that’s what the Italians would like you to think.”

“Know a lot of Italians, huh?”

Lance shrugged. “We always had a few at the hotel, but it was mostly Germans, actually. And Canadians. Canadians feed our economy.” He got more comfortable on the couch, totally _not_ leaning into the bend of Shiro’s elbow. “The Italians used to get all pissy about my brother’s coffee-making skills, though. One time one of them got drunk enough to come behind the counter and try to _teach_ him.” He laughed, tilting his head back to look at the mud-red ceiling. “Fucker burned himself on the steam wand and we had to take him to the hospital.”

“Sounds like an adventure,” Shiro said, laughter bubbling underneath.

Lance closed his eyes, white Victorian columns misting up instead of a kitschy coffee shop. “Yeah. That wasn’t even half of it. Like, this one time…” Lance dissolved into hotel stories, of weird rude guests and back of house drama, Shiro humming and nodding along. Every story made Lance melt a little more into Shiro’s side, staring blankly into the dredges of his latte as he cracked open the tight shell around _home_ , sick fog swirling in his chest.

He was banged out of it by the sulking cashier setting down a plate on the table in front of them, along with two to-go cups. The plate had a random assortment of pastries on it - old things they were going to throw away anyway. Lance blinked the fog away and looked up at her, but she was looking at Shiro, mouth set. “On the house,” she said, voice quiet and a little mean. Shiro huffed. Her eyes flickered to Lance. “And the coffee’s the last of the decaf.” She wandered back to the counter, picking up the Windex and some paper coffee filters to start wiping down the glass of the pastry display. Lance stared at the plate - reached for an orange cupcake.

“Do the people here know you or something?” Lance asked as he peeled back the wrapper. Shiro traded his empty hot chocolate mug for the coffee, snagging a croissant on the way.

“Something like that.” He shrugged. “I come here a lot.” Lance licked off some icing from his cupcake - pumpkin spice and caramel, surprise surprise just two days after Halloween. Shiro tore off the end of his croissant, popping it in his mouth. “What, don’t y’all have your favorite regulars, too?”

“Well, yeah, sure, but most of our regulars were weird old German tax evaders who stayed in our nice rooms for months and stuff like that.” He grinned and bumped his shoulder into Shiro’s side. “They were never as easy on the eyes as you, of course. Bet you get all the ladies calling.”

Shiro snorted hard. “Yeah, too bad I’m too gay for that.” He gestured at the cashier with his half croissant. “Luckily, that’s not what Axe cares about, since they’re all useless lesbians around here.”

Lance laughed, cheek falling into the cavity of Shiro’s shoulder under the cap of his prosthetic. “That’s amazing.” He looked up at Shiro’s jawline, cheek pressed hard into the wool of his coat. “I’ll defend your honor against the straight girls,” he swore, curling the hand holding his cupcake over his heart.

“My hero.” The body under Lance shifted so Shiro could tap his shoulder with his pincher. “Good for me, though, most of the ones around here have figured it out already.”

“Yeah, I noticed everyone seems to know you. What’s up with that?”

Shiro’s other shoulder shrugged as he finished off his croissant. “I grew up here, so everyone who stayed in town was in high school with me or something. Except for basic training and deployment, I’ve spent my life here. You just get to know people when that happens.”

Lance grinned. “Aww, were you the chief jock or something? Mr. Popular?”

Shiro shook his head. “Nah, kind of the opposite, I guess. But basic really beat it out of me.” Lance turned his head enough to take a bite out of his icing-less cupcake, watching the minute movements of Shiro’s throat, just a few inches from his face… Shiro chuckled, vibrating right through Lance’s side, and it warmed him more than the latte. “I went into the army an angry kid who didn’t want to ever go to school again and just beat stuff up, and came out a sad adult who only wanted to go to school and get to work. Crazy, huh?”

Lance swallowed. “Damn poetic, that’s what it is.” He took another bite. The cupcake itself was more nutmeg than allspice, but it was still amazing. “So, you got post-grad plans, then?”

Shiro shrugged, holding Lance steady as he leant forward just enough to grab one of the tiny muffins. “I wanna fix the VA. It fucking sucks.” Lance laughed, tossing his empty cupcake wrapper somewhere in the direction of their plate. Shiro smiled, settling back again and locking his elbow a little tighter around Lance’s shoulders. “And we’ll see where that takes me, I guess.”

Lance wriggled around so he could wedge his arm between Shiro’s Dorito waist and the couch, fingers clenching in wool on his other side. “What, you gonna be the gay arm version of Tammy Duckworth or something?”

“That’s the plan, Stan.” He sighed. “The VA fucking _sucks_ , man.”

Lance snuggled in closer, ear pressed against Shiro’s collarbone. “So tell me about it… stud.” Shiro snorted, but sipped his coffee and started to rant. Lance closed his eyes and listened.

* * *

They didn’t leave the Rock until past closing, when Axe pointedly came over and took all of their dishes and trash and told them to get out so she could lock the door. Shiro was still buzzing from all the physical contact he wasn’t used to, his side cold the whole drive to Lance’s dorm, even as Lance bubbled and sparkled in the passenger seat. They weren’t more than a mile from campus, but if Shiro took a few side streets he didn’t need to on the drive home, well, only Keith’s obsession with Rebel’s gas tank would know. Lance sure didn’t, his attention solely focused on the story he was telling about some asshole in one of his classes last semester he was forced on a group project with who never contributed except to take credit at the last minute. When he got riled up, he talked too much with his hands, fingers flying everywhere and bouncing around in his seat, and it was cute as hell. Shiro was so fucked.

They pulled up to Lance’s dorm before long, though, and Shiro yanked the parking brake so he could get out and get the door for Lance, leaning against it as Lance did his best to stand up and not die or put pressure on his left leg. He held out an arm for Lance to steady himself on, which Lance used with a big smile that made Shiro’s bubbles pop a bit brighter.  

Once his crutches were under his arms and he was safely up over the curb, Lance turned to face Shiro, eyes big and glinting in the campus street lights. “Well, _I_ had a _great_ time,” he said, teeth flashing over his scarf. “How ‘bout you?”

Shiro grinned. “Pretty perfect, actually.” He kicked the door closed and took a step forward, just enough to be able to tuck Lance’s scarf ends into the flap of his coat. “Same time next week, maybe?”

Lance beamed up at him. “You got it, sweet cheeks. Homework permitting, of course.” Shiro’s fingers trailed up Lance’s soft scarf – jerked away before they could touch skin. Lance rolled his eyes, then let go of one of his crutches to grab Shiro’s shirt and yank him down to plant a sloppy kiss on the corner of his mouth. Shiro let out a startled little squeak, but Lance pulled away before he could respond, grinning through a red face as he gathered his crutch up again and danced backwards a bit. “Good night!” he called a little loudly, spinning on one rubber foot to head into the building. Shiro blinked, still hunched over a little, skin washing a bunch of different temperatures at once before settling on _warm._

“You’re a dirty little sneak!” he called at Lance’s back. Lance’s wild laugh floated back on the cold wind as he slammed the open door button, making faces at Shiro before dancing inside, the click of his crutches cutting off with the door closing. Shiro shook his head and got back in the car, smiling the whole drive home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: I'm updating this fic from an airport bar because 1. I have no impulse control 2. I'm heading out for a week car camping around the Nevada desert and I wanted to post this up before I went dark. German was enthusiastically provided by [@citrusfluegel](https://twitter.com/citrusfluegel)! ALSO I ALMOST FORGOT, Seki drew me [some art for this AU](https://twitter.com/mousousousou/status/1071219935957798912)! [tumblr](http://carriecmoney.tumblr.com) [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/carriecmoney)}

From: Lance!  
Let me just state, once again for the record: FUCK statistics  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:12 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Haha. Same project?  
  
Also good morning :)  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:23 AM

From: Lance!  
Technically it is morning I guess… and yes same bullshit different day  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:25 AM

From: Lance!  
Pidge helped me get started so that’s good but it’s just annoyyyiiinngggg  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:26 AM

From: Lance!  
Do my homework for me daddy ;)))  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:28 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
I hope you know that ‘daddy’ means absolutely nothing to me one way or another  
  
But no.  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:34 AM

From: Lance!  
BOOOOOO you are the least fun datemate in the WORLD  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:35 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Datemate?  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:38 AM

From: Lance!  
Habit from pidge, and you are a mate I go on dates with… unless you think ‘daddy’ is a better fit ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:40 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
Nah, I think I like ‘boyfriend’ the best.  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:45 AM

From: Lance!  
OH SCREW YOU!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOU!!!  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:45 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
So that’s a yes, then?  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:45 AM

From: Lance!  
FUCK OFF BACK TO THE HEAVEN YOU CAME FROM!!  
Sat, Nov 3. 10:45 AM

From: Captain Sexy  
:)  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:45 AM

From: Lance!  
You just killed any chance of finishing this stats project today THANKS BOYFRIEND  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:46 AM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
No problem boyfriend **💗  
** Sat, Nov 3, 10:46 AM

From: Lance!  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
Sat, Nov 3, 10:46 AM

* * *

 

Lance McClutz  10:48 AM  
GUESS WHO’S GOT A BF  
IT’S BRITNEY BITCH

<3 queen of my heart <3  10:55 AM  
congratulations :)

Lance McClutz  10:57 AM  
SO THANKS FOR INVITING ME TO YOUR HALLOWEEN PARTY THEN!!?!?

<3 queen of my heart <3  10:58 AM  
glad I could be of service :)

Lance McClutz  10:58 AM  
💙

<3 queen of my heart <3  11:02 AM  
speaking of service…..

Lance McClutz  11:03 AM  
Sigh………..  
what pretentious idiot do I have to translate for now

<3 queen of my heart <3  11:04 AM  
not that many… and they’re french this time if that helps?

Lance McClutz  11:06 AM  
really? right in front of my boyfriend?  
you better be picking me up this time I’m NOT walking a step more than I have to today  
also you’re helping me with stats

<3 queen of my heart <3  11:10 AM  
your boyfriend isn’t there and I know it otherwise you wouldn’t be responding to me  
and that sounds like a fair trade… pick you up in 20? The Rock?

Lance McClutz  11:12 AM  
lol okay

<3 queen of my heart <3  11:15 AM  
And you’re paying this time!!

Lance McClutz  11:16 AM  
fiiiiiiiiiine

* * *

It was a little strange, coming back to the magic of the night before in the daytime. Of course, Lance had spent almost full days buried in Rocket Fuel’s mismatched chairs, quizzing Allura on French terms or propping up Pidge when they needed a backrest, but it was _different_ now. He had been here with _Shiro_.

Allura was still going on about the latest in French pretentiousness when she held the door open for him – no Shiro to run into on the other side this time, a mixed blessing. Since it was lunchtime on a weekend, though, the place was busier than normal, most of the couches and tables already taken. A couple in the corner was gathering their things, and Allura with her sniper’s sense honed in on them when they were two spots back from the counter. “I’m going in,” she murmured, hitching her backpack higher. “Cover me.”

“Yessir.” She fluffed her hair out and marched over, just sliding in before a dude who had been standing by the window with his cup and phone could take the chair. She smiled her sweetest at him, the café too loud for Lance to make out her words, but she definitely gestured at him as she draped her coat over the other chair. The dude whipped to frown at him, and he waved, making a point to hop around on his good leg a little. His nose flared, but he turned back to Allura – probably to make some lame move on her that Lance would hear about as soon as he sat down. Lance sagged on his crutches as he looked ahead at the menu behind the counter. He should probably eat something, since he hadn’t had much since the pastries last night… was it weird to order the same thing two meals in a row? Those pumpkin cupcake things were _tasty_ – wait, was that German?

He perked up, listening in to the conversation of the two women waiting at the end of the counter. His spoken German was better than his written – a consequence of a full life of catering to German hotel guests – so he had no trouble following their talk. Their _trash_ talk.

“ _Ich musste noch nie so lange auf ‘nen Latte warten,_ ” the taller one whined, “ _Wie lang kann es bitte dauern Milch aufzuschäumen?_ ”

“ _Das hier ist einfach ein Saftladen,_ ” their friend said, “ _Und nicht mal ein süßer Barista als Entschädigung. Ich mein, guck dir den Typen doch mal an._ ”

“ _Naja, wenn man auf den Assi-Look steht,_ ” the first one said, glancing over the top of the espresso machine not subtly at all. “ _Wenn schmuddelig das ist, was_ dir _ne Latte verpasst, isser doch ganz süß._ ”

“ _Wer so schlampig aussieht - vielleicht ist_ er _ja ne Schlampe. Du weißt so mag ich sie._ ” They laughed, and it would have been pleasant if Lance didn’t know what they were saying.

“Hey, dude, it’s your turn.” Lance jumped as he was tapped on the shoulder. The guy behind him in line raised an eyebrow. “You okay, man?”

“Huh? Oh, ja – yeah.” He crutched up to the counter, shooting a weak smile at the barista stuck on cashier duty today, a smiley girl with a too-long pink ponytail that probably cost way too much to dye. “Hey there,” he said, leaning against the counter to look behind the syrup bottles to who was working the espresso machine today. It was the angry stringy hair guy, the same one who had threatened Lance with bodily harm if he hurt – well, maybe Shiro, he hadn’t been specific. He was banging around milk and carafes sloppier than normal, face a blotchy red and mouth twisted up –

“Hi! What can I get ya?”

Lance jumped – again – as the peppy cashier looked at him with the edge in her eyes of a rush gone too long. He cleared his throat and propped his crutches against the counter so he could dig from his wallet. “Hey, can I get a – a medium dark roast, a medium green tea, and… uh, two muffins, I guess.” He smiled. “Surprise me.”

She gave a big wink. “You gotcha.” She rang him up and told him the total so he could dig out the right change as she picked out his muffins, one of the other baristas behind the counter making the tea and coffee. He glanced over at the German gossipers as he paid, who were still laughing and talking shit about Stringy Bangs as his banging got louder and more chaotic. The cashier handed over a paper bag and two cups – shit, he needed Allura to come and get these. He looked over his shoulder to try and get her attention–

“Hey, are you done yet?” the tall one asked in English, sneering over the top of the espresso machine, and Lance snapped.

“Are _you_ done yet?” Everyone in earshot looked at him; his ears burned under his hat, but he pushed on, hands shaking on his crutches. “He’d do his job a lot better without snippy people like you harassing him,” he bit out, holding her worried green eyes, “so maybe y’all should _anhalten die - die Luft anhalten!_ ” The tall one jerked back while her friend huffed, arms crossed over her puffy pink jacket and under her puffy pink flush. He stuck his tongue out at them, then dug back in his wallet and pulled out the first bill that wasn’t a one – a ten – and slapped it on the counter, sliding it at the intrigued cashier. “That’s for him,” he said, jerking his head at a staring Stringy Bangs, “and _only_ him.” Lance flashed a grin at him, a glare at the Germans, and then looked again for Allura, who was approaching with the ‘ _what did you do this time?_ ’ lilt to her head that meant a lecture later. Whatever, he had a customer service employee’s honor to defend.

“Lance, is something wrong?” Allura asked, leaning in closer to hiss, “ _You’re holding up the line._ ”

Oh, he sure was. He was here to be rude to bitches, not to get kicked out of his favorite coffee shop. He hopped to the side, making sure to watch as the cashier slid Stringy Bangs the ten that he took with narrowed eyes. Allura took their two cups with apologies to the employees and waiting customers. Lance wasn’t done yet, though. He tapped his crutch on the wood hard, glaring at the uncomfortably awkward Germans.  Good, they could stand to be a little uncomfortable. “ _Ich wiss - weiß - ich weiß ja nicht wie das bei euch ist! Aber hier_ -” he snapped at them, struggling for the right word, “ _werden wir nicht eklig mit - mit Angestellte!_ _Also wenn ihr nix Gutes zu sagen habt, einfach mal die Klappe halten!”_ He huffed and didn’t wait for a response, stomping off to the table Allura had saved for them and studiously ignoring the curious eyes of the other coffee shop patrons.

“Was that _really_ necessary?” Allura whispered, leaning hard over the table as he settled into his chair. Lance wrinkled his nose, pulling one of the cups to him to take off the lid and see if it was coffee or tea.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell when I resist the siren call of a helpless customer service employee being abused by a shitty customer.” His chair was facing the counter, so he could watch as Stringy Bangs slid over the Germans’ cups and they slipped back out onto the street, only shooting Lance one dirty glare he gave back tenfold. He tried to make eye contact with Stringy Bangs, but he was hiding behind the espresso machine again with only the top of his dark head visible as he ran around to keep up with the rush. “Besides, the poor guy looked like he was dying back there.”

Allura shook her head. “You’re an odd one,” she said, accepting the tea he had unearthed and trading for his black coffee. “You can’t save every barista from every customer, you know.”

“Well, I can try.” He hauled out his laptop and slammed it down on the round table. “Anyway, you should send me those links pretty soon so I can get mad at the whole continent in one day.” She chuckled and unfolded her tablet’s keyboard cover, opening the paper bag to see what surprise muffins they had been given. Lance glanced at the busy counter again as he waited for his computer to connect to the WiFi. Maybe once their rush was over, he would go over and check on Stringy Bangs, make sure he was okay and also that he didn’t think Lance was patronizing him. He seemed like a proud kinda dude who might not take too well to a stranger sticking up for him.

“Okay, get to work, love,” Allura said, snapping him out of his idle stare. He heaved a dramatic sigh and opened their Facebook chat.

* * *

From: Lance!  
Hey boyfriend ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:43 PM

From: Lance!  
Ready to shed this mortal coil with me?  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:43 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
We went from dating to suicide pacts in 6 hours huh  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:51 PM

From: Lance!  
Are you not into that? I thought you were a chill ‘depression is the mood’ millennial but if you’re too OLD for that…  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:52 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
I was legally dead for a few minutes once so it’s only a matter of time until the reaper comes back around for what he missed the first time  
  
Let’s romeo + juliet this shit  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:55 PM

From: Lance!  
Holy SHIT you’re hardcore  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:55 PM

From: Lance!  
WAIT ARE YOU SERIOUS??  
Sat, Nov 3, 4:56 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Deadly.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:01 PM

From: Lance!  
BOOO!!! OMG THAT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY I HATE YOU  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:03 PM

From: Lance!  
ALLURA HATES YOU TOO  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:03 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
You’re with allura?  
  
And it’s called a ‘coping mechanism’ ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:04 PM

From: Lance!  
Yeah we’ve been camped out @ the rock all afternoon working on hw and stuff, heading home now tho  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:06 PM

From: Lance!  
And we need to find you a better outlet than gallows humor!!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:06 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
What, you offering? ;)  
  
I didn’t know you knew allura that well, that’s nice… I didn’t know anyone knew allura that well tbh  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:09 PM

From: Lance!  
Yeah, we were the only intl students in our orientation fman yr and I guess we just stuck together after that. She uses me for my lang skillz and I use her for free coffee, it’s a delicate balance ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:10 PM

From: Lance!  
AND WE’RE NOT SEXTING UNTIL AT LEAST DATE NUMBER TWO YOU FIEND! OR AT LEAST UNTIL I’M OUT OF ALLURA’S CAR!!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:10 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
That’s okay, I’m better in person anyway.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:13 PM

From: Lance!  
The.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:13 PM

From: Lance!  
Worst.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:13 PM

From: Lance!  
Boyfriend.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:13 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:15 PM

From: Lance!  
I know we just had date last night but do you wanna hang tonight?? I promise I’m almost done with stats project and yes allura helped me with that don’t give me that look!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:21 PM

From: Lance!  
I kinda wanna see my new bf and maybe seal the deal a little before the day is done! Bitch!!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:22 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
I’m okay with this development… if you’re okay with going to my roommate’s concert…  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:25 PM

From: Lance!  
DUDE THAT SOUNDS PERFECT!? Omg I’m SO in!! What time?  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:27 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Well I’ll need to drop him off so I can have the car first, so like 8-8:30? Depends on when he gets his diva self in order.  
  
Also he doesn’t actually want me to be there so we’ll need to sneak in the back once it starts ;) No backstage passes or anything but we can still have fun.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:31 PM

From: Lance!  
It sounds like SO fun! Lets sneak around like teens omg this is great!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:31 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Great! Sorry I cant feed you before… keith can be a REAL diva and it would be too annoying to deal with car logistics to make it work.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:34 PM

From: Lance!  
Lol that’s fine, divas are gonna diva. Hunk is stress baking anyway so I’ll be plenty full by then **😉  
** Sat, Nov 3, 5:35 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Hunk’s your rather… protective friend, right?  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:36 PM

From: Lance!  
Lol yeah. He’s a good dude, he’s just got an oversensitive douche sensor when it comes to my taste… But he knows you’re different don’t worry!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:37 PM

From: Lance!  
He’ll only give you a little of the shotgun talk when he finds out we’re officially a thing  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:37 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
I guess that’s only fair, because keith will probably give it to you for a few hours when he gets the chance. Brace yourself.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:38 PM

From: Lance!  
I’ll just derail him with bigfoot a few minutes in and we’ll bond over the cryptids, bang boom done  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:38 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
You know I’d tell you that it wont work but… it might…  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:40 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
This is the door to his room. No he’s not a teenager anymore. No I don’t understand what goes on in his head.  
attached: IMG_20181103_174119.jpg  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:41 PM

From: Lance!  
Everything you tell me about this boy just prepares me even more to embarrass him at his wedding and I am LIVING for it  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:42 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Well, he’s asexual, actually, so it will be a very special tax day when that happens :P  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:43 PM

From: Lance!  
Aah, lucky duck. I’ll have to find some other way to drag him in public then ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:45 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Tread carefully, he doesn’t take to being startled well. Tends to bite when it happens, actually.  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:46 PM

From: Lance!  
Is he your roommate or your cat: the never-ending debate  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:46 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Haha, see him tonight and decide for yourself  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:48 PM

From: Lance!  
YES!! Omg I’m so excited! But I’m gonna go dark to finish up some german stuff so I can try and finish the stats thing tomorrow :) I’ll check my phone before 8 don’t worry!  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:51 PM

From: Captain Boyfriend  
Sounds good. I’ll let you know when I’m free of the diva…  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:52 PM

From: Lance!  
You got it, boyfriend ;)  
Sat, Nov 3, 5:52 PM

* * *

_SLAM!_

“Okay. _Okay!_ Fine!”

Shiro looked up from his reheated takeout as their kitchen door banged in its frame, Keith blowing in like a really angry snowstorm. He threw his keys in the bowl hard enough that they slopped right out the other side onto the floor, stomping his boots on the mat even though it hadn’t snowed yet this season. He was glaring at Shiro the whole time, even while he dug in the fridge and pulled out a thing of lunch meat. He sat down across from Shiro at their kitchen table, chomping on sugar cured ham and glaring through his work-sweaty bangs. “ _Fine_ ,” he growled again, chewing with his mouth open. “You can keeping seeing this… guy.”

Shiro blinked, fork falling back into the box. “Well, that’s wonderful to hear.” Shiro tilted his head. “What changed your mind so fast?”

Keith tapped the lid of the container on the table, falling into the rhythm of the latest song he didn’t know Shiro knew he was writing. “He’s still an idiot,” he said through his ham (the spectacle of Keith’s eating habits had long since faded from recognition status). “But he’s… I dunno.” He scowled at the cabinet behind Shiro. “Overly polite to service staff,” he spat over ham.

Shiro picked his fork up again to stir day before yesterday’s curry. “He did mention he was at your place today,” he said, blowing on rice. “But he didn’t say anything about meeting you.”

“Like I said, he’s an idiot who can’t rub two brain cells together to figure out who I am, I guess.” He snorted. “Either that or he’s a damn good actor.”

Shiro laughed. “I’m not sure if Lance could act to save his life.” He tapped his phone screen to wake it up – still no new notifications, but Lance did say he was ‘going dark’ to concentrate on homework. “Plus, he would’ve told me if he thought he met you.”

“You’re talking to this dude a lot.” Shiro looked up at Keith’s dark eyes, fixed on him in that steady, unreadable mood he got into for no reason. “You really like him.”

Shiro’s mouth twitched. “I’d hope so, since he’s my boyfriend now.” Keith kicked him under the table, baring his teeth in a sneer. “I’m serious!”

“You were supposed to _wait_ ,” Keith growled, slamming the lid back on the ham. “You _promised_.”

“I promised nothing of the sort. _You_ said you wanted two weeks’ trial, but I saw my chance and took it.” He smiled at Keith’s knife-thin glare. “For what it’s worth, he’s called me ‘boyfriend’ about…” He scrolled through their text history. “About sixteen times today, so I’d say he’s on board.”

“ _God_ , y’all are gonna be insufferable.” Keith groaned, hitting himself in the face with the ham container. Shiro laughed. “Just _please_ try to restrain yourself when I’m around,” he moaned through translucent red plastic.

“No promises.” Shiro picked up the takeout container to tip the last bits of saucy rice into his mouth. “You still want me to drop you off tonight?” he asked.

“I guess. Axe is still fighting with Z, so they won’t ride in the same car right now, and I can’t handle Ez’s chatter or Nar’s driving without them to buffer it.” He glared at Shiro. “But you _won’t_ be staying,” he threatened with his ham.

Shiro put his hook as close as it got to his heart. “You’ll see me drive away,” he swore. Keith gave him another long, silent glare, but stood with a huff to put his ham back in the fridge and grab a beer, slapping off the cap on their maligned kitchen counter edge. “I really shouldn’t enable you like that,” Shiro sighed, keeping Keith’s eye contact as he downed half of it in one go. “One day I’m gonna get in serious trouble for supplying alcohol to minors.”

Keith popped off with a little gasp. “Yeah, but by then I’ll be twenty one and also who gives a shit.” He took another swig. “I’m gonna warm up some,” he said. “Do _not_ come upstairs.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Keith rolled his eyes, then stomped off into the house, footsteps echoing up the old stairs and creaking overhead. Shiro smiled at the table, tapping his phone screen. No new notifications. Right. Well, maybe he should follow his boyfriend’s example and get some work done… He smiled, word rolling around his mouth as he cleaned up the kitchen and went to find his laptop. _Boyfriend_. Yeah, he could get used to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {A/N: The rough translation of the German is that the girls were calling Keith a dirty slut (it makes sense in German ok), then Lance snapping at them to be nice to service workers and if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.}


End file.
